A record-setting attendance of 1,365 packed into Mulcahy Soccer Stadium on Friday night for Arizona’s final game of the regular season. It was a familiar story for the Wildcats as Jada Talley came up big yet again with an 82nd-minute goal to break the tie and push the team to its 11th win of the season.
It’s always a memorable game when the Sun Devils come to town, but Friday’s match felt a bit more special for some of the seniors in what could have been their last game at Mulcahy Stadium.
Senior defender Samantha Falasco couldn’t help but tear up when talking about her four years at Arizona.
“It’s been so incredible. This place has been so special,” Falasco said. “I’ve been so lucky to have such an amazing team and people who are just so supportive of everything that I do. Everyone around me has made this year so special.”
The first half saw little action as both teams created some chances but were all turned away by tough goalkeeping from Arizona’s Hope Hisey and ASU’s Giulia Cascapera. The Wildcats came close at the end of the half when forward Brynn Moga headed in a goal before being waved offside, keeping the score at 0-0.
Despite the score being level for more than 80 minutes of the match, Arizona took control of the final 45 minutes by outshooting Arizona State 16-2 in the second half while also forcing 14 corner kicks, nine of which were in the second half.
Brooke Wilson hitting the post in the 65th minute was just one of Arizona’s 22 total shots in this game as the Wildcats continued to push for a late goal. The Sun Devils finally let up a goal in the 82nd minute when junior Jada Talley sunk a second-chance ball into the bottom-right net.
“I found [Emily Knous] out wide and she’s really good with her crosses, so I had a feeling it would come back to me,” Talley said. “I don’t know what I did the first time, but thankfully I got a second chance and I just ran through it and buried it.”
Talley’s 10th goal of the season was enough to cap off the 2019 season with an 11-6-1 record. Arizona will surely make the playoffs as they currently have an RPI of 40. The team would need to crack the top 32 to host a playoff game, but Head Coach Tony Amato isn’t too worried about Selection Monday.
“We feel really good about being in, and we’re right there on the border of hosting, so I think some of it will come down to other results across the country, but we’re right there so hopefully it works out for us,” Amato said.
The full NCAA playoff bracket will be revealed on Monday, Nov. 11, with the first round of games beginning later in the week.
Follow Jacob Mennuti on Twitter
