Ann Westermark (right) and the Ducks hope to shoot for the NCAA Tournament this season.
On the Oregon soccer team’s Papé Field, the past has met the future — and they like each other.
The past is represented in senior Chalise Baysa, Oregon’s all-time leading scorer. The past also includes veteran offensive players like Beth Bowler, Crystal David and Annie Murphy, and veteran defenders such as Starr Johnson.
“They know what’s required,” Oregon head coach Bill Steffen said of the seniors. “They know what it takes to win at this level.”
The future is Nicole Garbin, who netted the Ducks’ only goal in a season-opening 1-0 win over Gonzaga. The future is players like Kelly Baird, a freshman who started the season opener, and transfers Amanda Orand and Sarah Denner, who both sparked the Ducks off the bench in that first game.
The past is full of nothing but praise for the future.
“They have raised our level of playing,” Baysa said. “They will be the dominant class down the years.”
Now, the past and future need to face the Pacific-10 Conference. A year after going 4-15-1 overall, 1-7-1 in the Pac-10 and 0-8 on the road, the Ducks will look to improve upon all those numbers this season.
“There are no excuses this year,” David said.
“We want to be able to hold our head up at the end of the season,” Baysa said. “No regrets.”
On the offensive side of the ball, Steffen has spread the Ducks out, in an attempt to utilize the speed of Denner, Orand, Murphy and junior Julie McLellan. The coach said he wants those players wide, because he is confident in their ability to beat defenders one-on-one.
“We’re trying to get people better chances to score,” Steffen said. “We believe that’s where they will have more success attacking defenders.”
Baysa remains the cornerstone of the Ducks’ offense, and much of Oregon’s downfield movement is channeled through her center position.
On defense, Steffen has also switched systems. He will now utilize a zone, as opposed to the man-defense the Ducks employed last season.
Both tactics worked against Gonzaga. On offense, the Ducks took a school-record 30 shots, pelting the Zags with chance after chance. On defense, Johnson and her crew, which includes returning starters Angela Romero and Lindsey Peterson, held Gonzaga to only four shots on goal.
That was all junior Sarah Peters, the Ducks’ starting goalkeeper, needed to record her first shutout at Oregon. Peters also notched another first in Oregon’s opener: She became the first Duck goalie to record an assist as she passed over the Gonzaga defense on Garbin’s goal.
The real star of the season opener was Garbin, the freshman who was Hawaii’s player of the year last season. She took four shots coming off the bench, and her goal made up for a missed shot earlier.
“I want to contribute every game,” Garbin said. “I want to get a goal or an assist, I just want to help the team.”
Both old and new players agreed that the Ducks will focus on a berth in the NCAA Tournament this season, a feat that has eluded Oregon in its five years of existence.
If they’re going to get to the NCAAs, Steffen said the Ducks will need to merge the past and the future — and add a little here-and-now killer instinct.
“Last year, they said, ‘O.K., we’ll play some games,’” Steffen said jokingly. “This year, they’re, ‘Who’s next?’”
The Ducks will take on San Diego on Sept. 28 at Papé Field, in their second home matchup of the year.