With a little more than three minutes remaining and the Utes nursing a 1-0 lead over Arizona State Sunday afternoon in Tempe, it looked as if Utah was on its way to wrapping up the win, and with it a likely NCAA tournament bid.
The Sun Devils had other plans.
ASU’s Kaitlyn Palvovich headed home a corner kick in the 86th minute to force overtime, making way for Cali Farquharson’s golden goal in the second overtime as the Sun Devils came back to stun the Utes 2-1.
“Losses are always tough, especially when we were three minutes away from the W,” Utah goalkeeper Lindsey Luke said. “I think it’s tougher because we played so well and had the upper hand throughout the game.”
Palvovich found redemption in her equalizer after she, in essence, helped the Utes take the first lead of the contest. In the 74th minute, Utah defender Jill Robison sent a cross into the box, where Palvovich and Ute forward Allie Wisner were jockeying for position. The ball deflected off their feet and over Sun Devil keeper Chandler Morris for the goal. The score was credited to Wisner, but it easily could have been recorded as an own goal.
Palvovich’s equalizer came on a corner kick to the far post that she headed right inside of it. Utah defender Jenny Hutton was guarding the post with an extended arm, and the ball bounced under her for the score and the game was knotted up at one apiece.
The game-winner occurred as Luke came off her line anticipating a pass back from the defense, a pass never came. Farquharson beat Ute defender Megan Trabert to the ball and took advantage of the empty net, sending a shot to the inside of the post and delivering the victory for Arizona State.
“I’m taught to come off my line and show for the back pass to get us out of trouble, so just like any other time, I showed for the pass,” Luke said. “Ninety-nine times out of 100 that pass-back works great.”
The rather rapid scoring in the game’s latter stages was a contrast to an opening half that was played primarily in the midfield as both teams struggled to produce scoring chances. Only 10 total shots were taken in the first 45 minutes, with the Sun Devils holding the edge 6-4.
In the second half, the Ute attack was able to create some chances. Early in the frame, forward Ashton Hall dribbled into the box and set up Wisner for a strike with a pass through the box. Wisner’s shot was on target but Morris easily handled it.
As for the Sun Devils, prior to Wisner’s goal, they seemed unable to muster any offensive movement. They frequently sent the ball over the top hoping for a good run by their forwards, but none of those long balls produced any real scoring chances. Once the Utes were on the scoreboard, however, Arizona State started pushing forward, creating buildups that forced the Utah defense to work. Those buildups eventually led to the equalizer.
Sunday’s match was the Utes’ ninth overtime game of the season and their first loss in extra sessions. With the defeat, Utah fell from third to fourth in the Pac-12 standings. The Utes will return home for their final regular season match on Friday against Colorado.