Oregon women’s soccer (0-7-2) started its Pac-12 season with a deflating 3-0 loss against Arizona (4-2-3) on the road Friday night.
The Ducks came into the matchup after finishing their nonconference schedule with a 1-1 draw against Boise State. After Ajanae Respass scored an equalizer in the second half, Oregon looked to have some hope heading into Pac-12 play. Unfortunately for the Ducks, the Pac-12 features a handful of the top-ranked teams in the nation. Starting their conference season on the road against a decent Arizona squad wasn’t going to be an easy task.
The first 10 minutes of the match were uneventful and without either team creating any real opportunities within the attacking third. The Wildcats finally had a chance to score off a free kick in the 11th. The ball was delivered into the box where it was batted around until an attempt on goal was saved by goalkeeper Maddy Goldberg.
Oregon responded by earning a corner a minute later but Arizona immediately earned the ball back. Off of the counterattack, Ella Hatteberg sliced the ball to Sami Baytosh who sent it into the back of the net in the 14th minute.
The Ducks had limited opportunities within the attacking third. The best shot on goal came in the 27th minute on a header by Cameron Bourne, but it was easily saved by the Wildcats.
Despite Arizona outshooting Oregon 13-3, the two had an equal amount of shots on goal. The Ducks went into the locker room only down a goal and with the game still being within reach.
The Wildcats snuffed out Oregon’s remaining hope immediately in the second half. Arizona had numbers inside the penalty area. The Ducks blocked a couple of attempts but couldn’t clear the ball away. Baytosh found the rebound and scored her second goal of the night and her third of the season less than a minute into the half.
The Wildcats slammed the door on a possible Oregon comeback in the 61st minute. Nicole Dallin headed the ball in the left corner of the goal to increase the Arizona lead to three. The Wildcats created several more shots on goal in the second half, but Goldberg came up with big saves every time.
The Ducks’ schedule doesn’t get any lighter, but the young group has a chance to get better each game with added experience. Next, Oregon returns to Eugene to play its Pac-12 home opener on Thursday against Colorado (8-0-2) at 7 p.m.
