(Photo: Jodi Vosika/ASU Lacrosse)
No. 12 Arizona State did not allow No. 6 University of Colorado to get comfortable and came out firing in the second half to upset the Buffaloes 12-9 in Denver.
In their first leg of a back-to-back, ASU rallied from being down 5-2 early, behind a hat-trick courtesy of senior midfielder Adam Beauchamp.
Sophomore midfielder Tommy Carasco and freshman attackman Jake Marthens combined for eight points, scoring two goals and dishing two assists each.
Sophomore faceoff specialist Zac Mathien was a beast in the faceoff circle down the stretch, ensuring possession and winning 17 out of 21 faceoffs for the Sun Devils in pivotal moments of the game. He also contributed an assist of his own.
Freshman Johnny Perlite started between the pipes and being down 7-5 at halftime, he shined when it mattered most. He remained calm and focused in the clutch giving up only two goals in the second half in just the third start of his career.
The Buffaloes battled the entire game and were on ASU’s heels until the very end.
Sophomore attackman Carter Esqueda, junior midfielder Jake Gonzales, and sophomore attackman Ben Wharton each had a pair of goals.
ASU’s hustle and grind was apparent throughout the entire contest. They seemed to be on every ground ball and their passion showed on both ends of the field.
Five different Sun Devils scored and their teamwork proved to be too much for Colorado to handle.
Arizona State takes on No. 8 Colorado State in Fort Collins, tomorrow at 4:00 p.m. MST.
If you want to reach Eliav, you can contact him on Twitter @eliavgabay or email him at egabay@asu.edu
