Stephen F. Austin
No. 24 Arizona State
Ehlert Shines in Loss at No. 24 ASU
9/5/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
No. 24 ASU 2, SFA 0 (PDF)
TEMPE, Ariz. – Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Lillie Ehlert was outstanding in front of the net on Friday evening, but the Stephen F. Austin women’s soccer team couldn’t generate enough offense in a 2-0 loss at No. 24 Arizona State on the opening day of the Sun Devil Desert Classic.
Ehlert registered a career-high 11 saves in the game to shatter her old personal best by six. She was relentless in her penalty box all evening long, making numerous big plays to keep the Ladyjacks (0-4-0) in the game. The biggest of those moments came in the 54th minute when Ehlert showcased a diving save to stop an ASU penalty kick. Cali Farquharson took the PK for the Sun Devils but couldn’t get it past the outstretched arms of a diving Ehlert.
Ehlert and the rest of the SFA defense fended off an onslaught of ASU shots in the first half to keep the game scoreless heading into the intermission. With the clean sheet in the period, the Ladyjacks became the Sun Devils’ first opponent to shut them out in a half this year.
The Sun Devils (3-0-0) broke through in the 52nd minute when Sara Tosti’s shot from the top of the 18 deflected off an SFA player on its way to the net.
The Ladyjacks nearly evened the score on a shot from Hanna Barker midway through the second half. The sophomore forward found space down the middle of the field and created enough separation from her defender to unleash a shot on frame from just inside the penalty area.
Barker’s attempt proved to be the best chance for SFA the rest of the way. ASU padded its lead with a goal just moments later to cap the scoring at 2-0. Aly Moon poked in a loose ball in the box for Arizona State after a corner kick in the 69th minute.
Madison Hall and Hailey Hunt also ended the night with a shot each for SFA.
The Ladyjacks will return to Sun Devil Soccer Stadium for a neutral site game against Arizona on Sunday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. CT before making the return trip to Nacogdoches.
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