SOC Loses at #24 Arizona State, 4-2

Friday, September 10

Tempe, AZ

University of Tennessee

2-3-0

Arizona State

4-0-1

Tennessee

Arizona State

September 11, 2010 | Soccer

Box Score

Sept. 11, 2010

Tennessee-#24 Arizona State Box Score

By Brian Davis, Assistant Media Relations Director

TEMPE, Ariz. - A four-goal outburst over a stretch of 12:09 in the second half led unbeaten No. 24 Arizona State (4-0-1) to a 4-2 victory over Tennessee (2-3-0) on Friday night at the Sun Devil Soccer Stadium in Tempe, Ariz.

The Big Orange led 1-0 from 23:18 into the contest until the 71st minute, when ASU managed a pair of goals over a 57 second stretch to take a lead it wouldn't relinquish.

Junior forward Emily Dowd led the Lady Vol offense by scoring both Tennessee goals, including one on a beautiful bending shot from the right wing into the upper left corner of the net, giving her a team-best three during the 2010 campaign. Junior forward Chelsea Hatcher picked up her second assist of the year on UT's final tally, while freshman midfielder Caroline Brown was credited with her first collegiate helper on Dowd's goal in the 24th minute.

Arizona State out-shot the Orange & White by a 25-7 count and 13-3 in shots on frame. Redshirt senior goalkeeper Molly Baird was forced to make nine saves in the match-up, including six during the opening 45 minutes.

A couple of Lady Vol fouls in the Arizona State offensive third resulted in a pair of Sun Devil shots just a couple of minutes into the contest. The most dangerous opportunities came off the feet off Kaitlyn Pavlovich and Karin Volpe as Baird was forced off her line to make a pair of saves over the opening 4:26.

Tennessee got its first scoring opportunity at 9:34 as a cross from the right side found Hatcher marked about 10 yards out in front of goal. Her right-footed drive under defensive duress clanged off the right post and across the mouth of goal before eventually being cleared away by ASU.

Following a prolonged period of play in the midfield, the Big Orange broke the scoreless deadlock at 23:18. Brown won a one-vs.-one ball and found Dowd in the clear between defenders. The Hershey, Pa., native's pass was perfect to Dowd in space. The Gainesville, Fla., product pivoted and ripped a right-footed shot from approximately 15 yards out into the lower left corner of the net that beat Sun Devil keeper Alyssa Gillmore for a 1-0 UT advantage.

A quick counterattack by ASU in the 37th minute gave the Sun Devils a chance at registering the tying score. A feed from the left wing found Arizona State's Blair Alderson in space about 24 yards out in front of net. She launched a shot that traveled right into the waiting arms of a diving Baird for the UT goalkeeper's fifth save of the match.

During the 53rd minute the Sun Devils again came close to tying the score as a long run up the right wing by Devin Marshall resulted in a cross to the far post. Alyssa Freeman was waiting to head on goal, but her shot went just wide of the left post for a goal kick.

A long shot from about 40 yards out on the right by Arizona State's Kari Shane bent toward the far post, forcing a stellar diving fingertip stop by Baird at 55:53. The ball rebounded back out into play, but ASU's Freeman headed the ball high over the crossbar and onto the top of the twine.

After posting the majority of the pressure in the early going of the second stanza, the Sun Devils finally managed to tie the count at 1-1 off a set piece at 70:55. Following a UT foul deep in the right corner, a free kick crossed into the box by Holland Crook was headed home on a leaping drive by Alexandra Elston.

Just 57 seconds later the lead belonged to the Sun Devils off another set piece score. Shane blasted a shot on frame from approximately 40 yards out that was tipped over the crossbar by Baird. On the resulting corner the ball ricocheted around in the middle of the eight-yard box but couldn't be cleared by UT. A hustling Jasmine Roth of ASU raced up quickly to hammer the ball into the lower right corner for a stunning 2-1 lead.

After Hatcher forced a Gillmore save on a shot at 73:54, ASU's Sierra Cook came right back down the pitch and managed to find some space in the middle. She launched an ambitious drive from about 25 yards out that beat a diving Baird into the bottom right corner of the twine to make it 3-1.

Just 7:11 later a quick Sun Devil counter-attack resulted in an unassisted goal by Karin Volpe to finish off ASU's four-goal outburst.

A pair of UT corners set the stage for Tennessee's final tally as a ball found its way to Hatcher. The Cincinnati, Ohio, native passed to Dowd who fired an absolutely unstoppable bending shot from about 25 yards out on the right wing into the top left corner of the net to finalize the score at 4-2, ASU.

The Big Orange returns to the pitch on Sunday at the Sun Devil Soccer Stadium for a neutral match-up against Arizona at 11 a.m. PT.