If fans have learned anything about the Oregon women’s soccer team so far, it’s that this team will be competitive in every game they play this season. The reason? They put more shots on goal than their opponents – a lot more. Having completed their non-conference schedule, the Ducks (7-3-1) have amassed 200 shots as a team already, 93 of which have been on goal. They have not yet been shut out this season and are currently on track to break the shots attempted record currently held by the 2003 team.
The Ducks have already blasted twenty or more shots in four different games this year, and they are getting it from a variety of players.
“It’s funny because the past three seasons we have looked around and wondered what’s the magic recipe for more attack,” head coach Tara Erickson said. “This team has created just that.”
Though one player has yet to assert herself as the go-to scorer, as did Nicole Garbin in previous seasons, the Ducks are having little trouble finding the offense this season. Though they have only outscored opponents 21-16, they have taken nearly twice as many shots on goal. The Ducks have 93 shots on frame to just 52 from their opponents. For sophomore Jen Stoltenberg, it’s all about a collective team effort.
“Offensively, we’re all connected as one,” she said. “When our outside backs get the ball, we all know where they will be looking.”
And it’s not as if the Ducks have fattened up on lesser teams so far. They’ve played games against three ranked opponents already, two on the road, and will face several more during conference play. True, the Ducks lost to all three of those ranked opponents but they proved to fans and themselves they can hang with the upper-echelon teams because of their offensive ability. They play in perhaps the most difficult conference in women’s soccer, and with a pair of ranked Pac-10 opponents this weekend, the challenge will be to turn the games against ranked foes into wins.
Confidence is high for the Ducks, as it should be, and the team will certainly be a force in the Pac-10 this year. Armed with speed up front and experienced veterans on the outside, the Ducks will be electric with the ball.
Erickson points to chemistry and a more aggressive style as the causes for the offensive onslaught.
“Our outside players like Allison Newton and Jessica Goodell are really influential because they draw a lot of attention out wide and that really opens it up,” she said. “Plus, Teresa (Bowns) and ‘Stolt’ have worked hard to create chemistry together, and they have that amazing technical ability.”
Many of the Ducks are continuing to push further up the record books as a result of all the offense. Junior Bowns and senior Newton are tied for second all-time in career assists, while Bowns has moved into fifth all-time in shots taken.
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