One all-time Oregon soccer great. Two senior defenders anchoring a new defensive system. Three shutouts, four goals to beat Washington State, five season goals for the young freshman star. Six graduating seniors. And seven non-starters to see significant playing time.
It all added up to eight wins.
The Oregon soccer team notched a school-record 8-8-2 ledger in 2001, and the season marked a turn-around in the program with the Ducks breaking school records for goals, shots, points and assists.
“It was nice for us to finish chances and get better results this season,” Oregon head coach Bill Steffen said.
The Ducks started the season shakily. They beat Gonzaga in the opener but then tied Idaho and lost to Montana. After successive wins over San Jose State and Nevada, Oregon entered its matchup with then-No. 20 San Diego at 3-1-1 overall.
In their biggest win of the season, the Ducks toppled the Toreros, 3-0. Oregon entered a matchup with then-No. 5 Portland with high hopes, but lost 4-2. The Ducks suffered a similar fate when they played the top teams from the Pac-10, and limped into last weekend’s matches with Washington and Washington State with a 1-6 conference record.
But the Ducks ended the season on a high note in Washington. They almost beat the Huskies, who scored a goal in the 88th minute to tie the game, and ripped into the Cougars for a 4-0 win.
“Those games in Washington redeemed (the players) for some times when they played that well but didn’t win,” Steffen said.
Oregon was led all season by a sextet of seniors who paced the team in points and attitude.
“We’ll miss those seniors,” Steffen said. “Not only for their roles on the field, but for their roles off it as well. We’re confident in them becoming successful people when they leave here.”
The six Oregon seniors included forwards Chalise Baysa and Crystal David, midfielders Beth Bowler and Annie Murphy and defenders Starr Johnson and Angela Romero.
Baysa was the most point-productive member of the graduating seniors. She will be remembered as perhaps the best player ever to grace Papé Field, after she broke individual records for career goals, game-winning goals, points and shots.
And on Tuesday, the Pacific-10 Conference coaches selected Baysa to the All-Pac-10 Second Team for the third time in her career.
“She’s been a lightning-rod for our team for four years,” Steffen said. “She’s handled that role with class.”
Romero and Johnson are the most unheralded members of the graduating class. This year, they took over and ran a new defensive scheme, allowing the Ducks to outscore their opponents, 32-28.
Murphy was the hero for one game, scoring twice to beat Arizona State. Bowler improved dramatically this season under the new scheme, and took 36 shots overall. That would have been a school record had Baysa not taken 69 this season.
Those totals illustrate the Ducks’ different mentality this season. Shoot, and shoot often. That offensive mentality will be passed on, Steffen said, to the next generation of Oregon players.
“Our expectations this year were high, but next year they will be higher,” Steffen said.
The Ducks will return their second-highest scorer, freshman Nicole Garbin, and also the No. 4 and No. 6 scorers in Ann Westermark and Sarah Denner.
As for the seniors, they can only hope that eight wins will add up to even more in years to come.