Coming out of the non-conference schedule, the Oregon women’s soccer team was battle-tested, full of confidence and on track to become one of the most prolific offensive teams in Oregon history. Now, just two weeks later, the atmosphere surrounding the team has dramatically changed.
The Ducks (7-5-2, 0-2-1 Pacific-10 Conference) remain winless in the Pac-10 after a disappointing draw against Oregon State, making it the second time in two years they’ve tied the Beavers. However, the recent shortcomings against OSU are just one facet of the funk that the program finds itself in. Two years ago marked perhaps the greatest season ever in Oregon soccer history, when Nicole Garbin led the Ducks to a second-place finish in the Pac-10, their highest finish ever in the conference. Garbin took Pac-10 Player of the Year honors and head coach Tara Erickson was named Coach of the Year. But as many know, the Ducks were conspicuously left out of the NCAA Tournament despite finishing above Stanford, California and USC, all of whom made the field of 64 teams. The historic snubbing left the Ducks unfulfilled after compiling the most impressive season in school history. It also left them with something to build upon, a sentiment that was echoed throughout the University.
It appeared that Erickson and her staff had found something that would turn the program into a consistent winner, but that has yet to happen.
Last season, the Ducks struggled to win consistently, after losing Garbin to graduation the previous spring. They finished 8-8-4, winning just one game in conference after winning six in 2006. The Ducks finished in the bottom half of the conference standings.
So when the Ducks finished this season’s non-conference schedule in relatively impressive fashion, optimism about the program was once again on the rise. Now having dropped four straight, the Ducks have left fans scratching their heads. Who exactly is the real Oregon soccer team?
Two things are clear. First, it is a team that has the ability to win. The Ducks, at times, have been an offensive powerhouse. They normally play great defense and have a budding star in freshman keeper Cody Miles. Second, inconsistencies have hampered all areas of the Ducks’ gameplan. This is not a bad team, but it does lack something. The Ducks have probably beaten all the teams they should, with the exception of the Beavers, but have lost to every ranked opponent they have played. That kind of resumé probably won’t get them into the NCAA Tournament, but the season still has a ways to go. The Ducks play in one of the strongest conferences in the nationProxy-Connection: keep-alive
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C which means a couple of wins could certainly boost them back up into the national spotlight.
That said, the Ducks must take advantage of the remaining six games on the schedule. They host four of the six, but three of those home games will be against ranked opponents. The Ducks host No. 24 Washington State on Friday night and will welcome perennial power UCLA and defending national champion USC on the final weekend of the season. The Ducks do have one more road trip, to the Arizona schools, and could certainly use conference road wins to bolster their chances of an NCAA berth.
It’s clear the Ducks have the ability and the fight to make a late run, but they must get going now. Otherwise, the near-miss of 2006 will continue to be the benchmark for Oregon soccer.
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