Alexandra Elston’s goal in the 58th minute proved to be the game winner as Arizona State defeated No. 20 UCSB 1-0 on Friday night in Tempe, Ariz. The loss was the second in a row for the Gauchos, who fell to Hawaii 2-1 on Sunday.
Elston broke the scoreless tie when she took a pass from teammate Carla Scanniello and found the near corner of the net. She beat freshman goalkeeper Ali Cutler, who was playing in place of sophomore Tammy Lenham, who was out with an injured shoulder.
The Gauchos actually outshot the Sun Devils by a 15-11 tally, including 5-4 in shots on goal, but ASU goalkeeper Briana Silvestri blocked all five on-frame attempts.
The loss, which drops UCSB to 6-4-0, was the first shutout defeat of the season. All four UCSB losses have been by one goal. ASU is now 5-2-3 on the campaign and unbeaten (4-0-2) in its last six matches.
The Gauchos will remain in the Grand Canyon State for a Sunday evening match at the University of Arizona.
Bill Mahoney is UCSB‘s assistant athletics director.