Arizona soccer needed to get back on the right track after two losses last weekend. A 2-1 decision not only handed the Denver Pioneers (2-1-3) their first loss of the season, it also gave the Wildcats (4-2-0) just the boost they needed.
“After the week we had last week, we just wanted to get it back so bad,” Arizona goalkeeper Olivia Ramey said. “And we turned the page, and now we’re on to the next chapter. And I think today was a great representation of how we can pull back and return from things
when we face adversity.”
Arizona returned from that adversity by taking control early.
“In the first half, we had a really strong start,” Arizona head coach Becca Moros said.
The team focused on specific things after last week’s losses. It appeared to pay off.
“We kind of reflected on our week last week and looked at our back line, and we’re a veteran back line, so we want to be able to really dominate back there and build out of the back and we didn’t have good success in that last week,” Ramey said. “So, we looked at the film, came back, made some changes, decided to play a little bit wider, and it ended up working out really well for us today.”
The back line improved both defensively and offensively.
“I think we were able to keep the ball better in this game, and also our outside backs making runs into the front line, so we would have more attack,” Arizona forwar Narissa Fults said.
The Wildcats scored off a goal by Fults in the run of play in the 20th minute. The insurance goal came from Sami Baytosh’s penalty kick in 78th minute. Aurora Gaines played a critical part in both scores.
Gaines got the assist on the goal by Fults. The goal tied Fults for the team lead in goals (2) and tied Gaines for the team lead in points (6) and assists (2).
“Aurora made a good pass, and it missed their last defender and got to me,” Fults said. “And I knew it’s going to be fast, because they were all running back in, so just a touching shot.”
Gaines was the player taken down in the box by Denver’s Kit Mooney in the 78th minute. Baytosh took the kick and scored easily when the keeper guessed the wrong direction.
Denver got one back in the 85th minute to cut the lead in half. Arizona wasn’t so sure it was a legitimate play, but Ramey still thought the Wildcats could have responded better.
“Our coaches say she started offside,” Ramey said. “We don’t have VAR, so they’re not going to call it back, sadly. But we just have to be more aggressive. I’ve got to be more aggressive in dominating my box more. So it was a good header on her behalf, but we have to do a better job in working on owning our box and our six-yard box.”
Moros not only thought that the goal should have been called back, but she felt that Arizona should have been given a second penalty kick when Denver took Gaines down a second time.
“Would have liked to have a few more goals for the efforts we had,” Moros said. “I think, unfortunately, the girl who scored for them, was offsides, and if we had video review, that would have been reviewed, and she would have been offsides. And there was a penalty kick on this end that they didn’t call, as well. So, a little disappointed that it wasn’t potentially a 3-0 game for us, but otherwise I’m happy with it.”
Up Next for Arizona Soccer
Pepperdine Waves (2-3-1) @ Arizona Wildcats (4-2)
When: Sunday, Sept. 7 @ 10:30 a.m. MST
Where: Mulcahy Soccer Stadium in Tucson, Ariz.
Streaming: ESPN+
Stats: Arizona Live Stats
Review both helped and hurt Arizona last week at Stanford. One Stanford goal was disallowed due to offsides and review upheld that call. Another offsides call against the Cardinal was overturned after review, giving Stanford their sixth goal.
Arizona doesn’t have the ability to review plays at Mulcahy Soccer Stadium. It’s a disadvantage to the Wildcats in several ways. It also puts them in the minority of Power 4 teams, including in their own conference.
“On game critical decisions…you review everything if you have the capacity to review,” Moros said. “To host postseason, you have to have video review. So you have to either get the capacity or you have to already have it, otherwise you have to give up your host bid…There’s a couple conferences that everybody entirely is doing it. In the Big 12 conference, about two-thirds are doing video review and one-third not.”
Facilities, technology, and officiating aside, the Wildcats did what they needed and now need to prepare for a Pepperdine team that has given them trouble in the past. While the two teams played to a draw in Malibu last year, the Waves won the preseason friendly the year before and defeated Arizona during the regular season three years ago.
“Pepperdine’s a very good team,” Moros said. “They’re going to take care of the ball nicely, so both teams are going to be trying to have more of the ball than each other, so a little bit more similar styles of play there, I’d say.”
Moros already sees ways that the Cal loss could help in the game against Pepperdine.
“We’ve got some video review that we’ll do,” she said. “We’ll get a scout in preparation. They’ve been playing in a three-back in a lot of situations, so different formation than we faced. It’s something that Cal switched into in the middle of our game with them. So, we’ve already talked about it a little bit in reviewing that game with the team, and then we’ll have another opportunity to decide how we want to overload a three-back. But that’s what the next couple days will be for.”
Pepperdine lost to Arizona State by the score of 1-0 on Thursday evening.
