UA soccer team still winless against ASU

Ian Mayer Arizona Daily Wildcat UA senior forward Nikki Jones (4) gets tripped up while trying to steal the ball from ASU forward Jennifer Peterson (22) Friday night in Tempe. The 2-0 loss to ASU puts the Wildcats at a three road game losing streak.

"Personally I think we got gypped," UA sophomore midfielder Kerri Kennedy-Weber said. "I mean it wasn't the refs' fault or anything. It's just we were playing well, and didn't get the win and the ball didn't go in. We were just unlucky. It wasn't our day."

The Wildcats (3-7-1 overall, 0-3-0 Pacific 10 Conference) failed to capture the victory against the Sun Devils (6-7-0, 2-1), giving up two goals in the fourth quarter to lose 2-0 Friday night in Tempe.

The Sun Devils also outshot the Wildcats 21-9 and are now 4-0 against Arizona over the course of the two teams playing one another.

"It was our best game," Kennedy-Weber said. "We worked so well as a team. We worked really hard. We knew we wanted to win, and that showed the minute we walked out on the field."

The play of the Wildcats may have shown their determination to win, but the score reflected otherwise.

The first "goal" of the game was believed to be scored by the Wildcats, head coach Lisa Fraser said.

Senior forward Nikki Jones sent a ball in the air at the goal, and the team believed it crossed over the goal line. But before the head referee had a chance to finish his whistle signaling a goal, the linesman interrupted him to say the goal was no good.

"We created some great opportunities and we definitely had a couple of real good chances," Fraser said.

Kennedy-Weber echoed her coach's thoughts on the team's offensive opportunities.

"If we would have got that goal, it would have changed the outcome of the game for sure. We would have come home with a win," she said.

Wildcat sophomore goalkeeper Inger Airheart had eight saves to shut out ASU over the first 70 minutes before Sun Devil junior forward Jennifer Peterson nailed a 25-yard shot right up the middle to take the 1-0 lead.

The Wildcats had yet another opportunity to score and tie the score at 1-1 with a penalty kick, but the ball hit the goal's crossbar.

Sophomore forward Karin Inoue headed in the Sun Devils' second goal six minutes later.

ASU freshman midfielder Stacey Tullock assisted on both goals.

The Wildcats return home this weekend to take on Washington at 7 p.m. Friday, and Washington State at 1 Sunday afternoon. Both games are scheduled at Murphey Stadium.

Kate Longworth can be reached via e-mail at Kate.Longworth@wildcat.arizona.edu.