Oregon and Oregon State will face each other in the women’s soccer Civil War on Sunday in Corvallis.
The two teams are tied for last place in the Pacific-10 Conference. Both teams are 1-5-0 in the conference, but the Beavers are 8-7-1 overall, while the Ducks are 7-7-1 overall.
If the game doesn’t end in a tie, and if the winning team can turn around and sweep the Washington schools next weekend, that team could go to the NCAA Tournament.
“It’s a tough conference, and that can be both a blessing and a curse,” Oregon head coach Bill Steffen said. “It’s a curse in the sense that there are no easy matches, but it’s a blessing because a lot of teams will go to the tournament.”
The Civil War had been dominated by the Ducks in recent years, until the Beavers battled to a 2-2 tie last season in Eugene. Before last season’s contest, Oregon held a 4-0 edge in the all-time series and had outscored Oregon State 12-2 in the four wins.
But last season, the Beavers proved they could hang with their neighbors from the south. When Oregon’s then-freshman forward Ann Westermark scored in the 10th minute, it looked like another Oregon romp was coming. But Oregon State’s Katie Henderson scored five minutes into the second half. After goals by Oregon’s Crystal David and Oregon State’s Courtney Carter, the game was tied 2-2 heading into sudden-death overtime.
In the cold, rainy conditions at Papé Field, 15 shots between the two teams in two overtime periods couldn’t find the net.
Most of the stars of those two teams will be back for this year’s contest at Paul Lorenz Field in Corvallis. All four goalscorers will show up again. Henderson and Carter have taken over as the main goalscorers for the Beavers, as they lead the team with Henderson’s seven goals and Carter’s five.
Oregon State had not been impressive this year until a 2-1 upset victory over then-No. 3 UCLA last weekend. The Beavers toppled the Bruins with goals from Henderson and freshman Jillian Nicks. It was only the second time this season a team has managed to score more than one goal on UCLA. It was also the Bruins’ second loss of the year.
Oregon State followed the upset win with a 2-1 victory over Sacramento State on Thursday afternoon. The pair of victories snapped the Beavers’ streak of six-straight losses, which dated back to Oct. 6.
The Ducks are trying to break a two-game losing streak of their own. Oregon dropped both games to the Southern California schools last weekend, but is still clinging to NCAA Tournament hopes.
“We have to see how it goes and take it one game at a time the rest of the way,” Steffen said.
The Ducks’ struggles in the Pac-10 are not because of a lack of chances. The Ducks outshot USC and nearly outshot UCLA last weekend, and are second overall the Pac-10 in shooting.
“We were just unlucky that we didn’t score,” Steffen said about last weekend’s games.
Oregon will need to start converting chances to make the NCAA Tournament. The Ducks need to win the rest of their games, including beating No. 16 Washington and Washington State to have a shot at making their first-ever postseason tournament.
Oregon will face Oregon State at 2 p.m. Sunday in Corvallis.