Friday, November 8, 2019

Arizona soccer beats ASU again to avoid NCAA Tournament bubble

Photo by Ryan Kelapire

Now it’s a matter of whether or not the Wildcats will host the first round

There was frustration, there was panic, and then there was relief.

Jada Talley‘s 82nd-minute goal lifted Arizona soccer to a 1-0 win over ASU, mercifully ending what otherwise was an agonizing night of offense.

It wasn’t for a lack of chances. The Wildcats logged 23 shots and 14 corner kicks with nothing to show for it until Talley netted her 10th goal of the season.

“Those numbers are frustrating if you only have one on the scoreboard,” she said. “We were peppering them all night, all second half, and we got one. Finally.”

A short cross from Emily Knous set up the game-winner. Talley collected her pass near the edge of the six-yard box and slotted her own rebound inside the far post after her initial shot was blocked.

“I don’t know what I did on the first time,” Talley said, “but thankfully I got a second chance.”

Arizona has now won four straight over ASU dating back to 2016. A record-breaking 1,565 fans flocked to Mulcahy Stadium for the match, including a large section of boisterous Sun Devil fans, creating a playoff-like atmosphere.

The bleachers were so full that people were camped along the sidelines.

“It’s the best game of the year,” said senior defender Samantha Falasco. “And I mean it’s pretty amazing that we’ve been able to win each year that I’ve been here.”

More importantly, Friday’s win makes Arizona a virtual lock to reach the NCAA Tournament. The only question now is whether or not it will host the first round. The top 32 teams get that benefit but the Wildcats entered the week 40th in RPI.

“We’re right there on the border of hosting,” said Arizona coach Tony Amato. “So I think some of it will come down to some other results across the country. Some of it will come down to geography. Are we an outlier? Can we get shipped to someone that makes sense or does someone gets shipped to us? But we’re right there.”

Had the Wildcats lost to ASU, there was a remote chance they would have missed the postseason altogether.

“It was really important to find a way to get the win tonight,” Amato said. “I was proud of our team, especially in the second half. I thought we created a lot of chances, won a lot of corners, and it felt like we just kept creating volume until we scored and it was a matter of time before it went in. And I know the players were feeling like, ‘is it ever going to go in?’ But from our standpoint, we were confident that with the chances we’re creating, we’re eventually going to score.”

Arizona sent cross after cross into the box in the first half but a Sun Devil was always there to block a shot or clear the ball to safety. UA appeared to break through in the 44th minute but Brynn Moga‘s header was waved off.

“They were just really dropping numbers behind the ball initially,” said outside back Morgan McGarry. “So the formation they were playing, they had their four backs and you could hear their coach saying, ‘make sure you drop.’ so they don’t let the ball go over their head.”

The halftime message?

“That we’re doing everything right, we just need to win the second ball,” Talley said. “So I feel like Tony was right in that sense that we were winning everything the first time and then if it didn’t work... we kind of just stopped and then that’s when they would counter us a little bit. So he’s like, ‘if you lock that down, you’re going to lock down the game’, which we did. We were in their half the whole second half.”

The Wildcats outshot ASU 16-2 in the final 45 minutes. There was a two-minute stretch, between the 73rd and 75th minute, in which they almost scored four different times.

Jill Aguilera ripped a shot from an angle that Giulia Cascapera leaper to knock away. Cascapera then dove to save a powerful shot from Knous from the top of the box.

Aguilera got another look from the other side of the box moments later but Casacapera gloved her shot at eye level. Kelcey Cavarra capped the flurry with a laser from the top of the 18 but it rolled just wide of the frame.

About 10 minutes earlier, Brooke Wilson dribbled through a hoard of defenders before rocking a shot off the far post, causing her to put her hands over her face in disbelief.

“We were just panicking and kind of getting frustrated that we weren’t scoring,” Falasco said. “But we were able to overcome that.”

ASU generated a corner after Talley’s game-winner, but nothing else. The Sun Devils only had seven shots on the night, and just two in the second half. They finish the year without a Pac-12 win.

Meanwhile, Arizona improved to 5-5-1 in the Pac-12 and 11-5-1 overall, tying its fourth-highest win total in program history.

“It’s just putting a stamp on our season,” Talley said.

The regular season, that is. Selection Monday awaits.

“I feel like we’re confident, we feel good,” Talley said. “As a team. I feel like we’re together. No one’s really like, ‘Oh I wish season would end.’ We want to keep playing for our seniors. We don’t want their season end so we’re going to keep pushing.”



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