In her six years on the Oregon women’s soccer team, Nicole Garbin has thoroughly rewritten the record books. She came through again for the Ducks this weekend, scoring the game-winner against No. 3 UCLA on Friday and then netting two more goals on Sunday to take her team up to second place in the Pacific-10 Conference standings. Garbin is one of the most prolific players in school history, and she now has 34 goals, 15 assists and 257 shots to her name.
But the one assist Rachel Grushkin made against USC on Sunday will mean more to her than any of Garbin’s 15 will mean to the superstar.
Until Sunday, Grushkin had played in only two games this season and had not made a start in two years. So she was very surprised when coach Tara Erickson approached her on Sunday morning before the game, and told her she would get to start against USC on Senior Day.
On Sunday afternoon, the four-year reserve was all smiles as she ran out on the field when the announcer introduced her name.
Seven and a half minutes into the game, Grushkin was lurking in front of the goal when she saw the ball coming toward her. She headed it. It deflected off USC goalkeeper Veronica Simonton but fell at the feet of Allison Newton, who scored from six yards out.
Grushkin was credited with the assist. But by the way her teammates mobbed her, you would have been forgiven for thinking that she’d been the one who had scored the goal.
Erickson allowed Grushkin to bask in her fifteen minutes of fame. Then Grushkin came off, and Tiffany Smith, the Ducks’ usual starting forward, was sent in.
Grushkin walked off the field to the applause of the crowd. Her single career assist was the stuff that fairytales are made off. She’d capped her career at Oregon with one crucial, unforgettable play at home on Senior Day in her first start in two years. What could be more perfect than that?
Kudos to Erickson for giving Grushkin the start. Not every coach would have done that. In the pressure-cooker environment that is college sports, it’s good to know that there are still coaches out there who care more about the welfare of their players than they do about just winning.
This team has heart. And it shows all around.
The first thing that strikes you every time you watch them play is just how cohesive they seem. Throughout the 90 minutes of a game, every player on the field will do something that makes you sit up and take notice. A lot of the limelight falls on Garbin’s mighty shoulders, but so many others have made it their personal missions to carry the team in their own ways.
With six goals and four assists, Allison Newton has become the second-most consistent offensive threat that the Ducks have. Dylann Tharp, Dani Oster, Danielle Sweeney and Nicole Dobrzynski have formed a nearly impenetrable back line all year for the Ducks, and Tiffany Smith, Jen Cameron and Rianna Mansfield have worked tirelessly to create an offensive threat.
This is a group of girls who love playing with each other. Watching them win in overtime against UCLA was the most moving sight of underdog triumph that I’ve ever seen in my life.
This team has chemistry, desire, a chip on their collective shoulder, and the unstoppable force of momentum on their side.
Ladies and gentlemen, I think it’s fair to say that the Oregon women’s soccer team has arrived. And the rest off the college soccer fraternity had better sit up and take notice.
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