Nicole Garbin could only watch – and wonder – as Oregon rolled to its third straight victory Sept. 7 against UC Riverside.
“It is not my team anymore, but I would love to be playing with them this year,” said Garbin, who’s finishing up her final term as a secondary education graduate student at Oregon. “Everyone seems more involved and wants to score.”
Seeing her old teammates take the big shots is something new for Garbin, who set single-season records last year as a senior for goals (12), game-winning goals (9), points (25) and shots (84).
No longer a member of the team, Garbin has still found ways to help – and cheer on – the Ducks, now 5-3 overall.
In fact, she drove three and a half hours from Cincinnati to West Lafayette, Ind., to watch Oregon take on Purdue last weekend.
And Garbin’s been working out with and giving advice to her former teammates, who she said haven’t missed a beat since she officially hung up her Ducks soccer jersey last spring.
Coach Tara Erickson said Oregon’s program has survived without its biggest star, though she jokingly told Garbin in her office Monday that she’s created a few dilemmas by graduating.
But with junior midfielder Allison Newton – who leads Oregon with 10 points and five goals – and sophomore Danielle Sweeney – who’s recorded three goals and a team-high three assists – the chuckle Erickson and Garbin shared was brief.
“We have more of a balanced attack, so teams can’t just mark an individual and take us out of games,” Erickson said. “So many different players are stepping up, which they could have done before, but it was everyone playing in Garbin’s shadow and watching her. It has been a learning experience for them, but we are moving forward.”
Garbin, who just spent two weeks in Cincinnati with boyfriend and Bengals practice squad player Matt Toeaina, is mentoring current attacking players while attending school. She chats with freshman Jen Stoltenberg after practices, calls sophomore Teresa Bowns on her cell phone and talks soccer over coffee with any Duck who needs an off-field confidence boost or on-field critique.
Oregon’s been listening, too: Bowns has two goals, two assists and team-highs in shots on goal (14) and shots (25) and Erickson said Stoltenberg gets better every day.
Garbin couldn’t save her team Friday when they needed a game-tying goal against Purdue in an eventual 3-2 loss. The Ducks did, however, defeat Illinois State 5-1 on Sunday, arriving back in Eugene at 1 a.m. Monday.
Bowns clocked in a match-high three points against the Redbirds.
“She has the potential to make a difference for us,” Erickson said. “She has played up top and in the midfield.”
Oregon has faced more than just the challenge of replacing Garbin though.
Senior defender Dylann Tharp started in 62 consecutive games at Oregon before spraining her left ankle in a match against Utah State on Sept. 14. Considered one of the Pacific-10 Conference’s best center defenders, Tharp could return as early as Sunday for the team’s match against Portland State at Papé Field.
In the meantime, she’s been doing rehabilitation work, including exercises on an underwater treadmill.
Sara Plutko, a freshman defender from Upland, Calif., has performed well in Tharp’s absence, though the Ducks are 1-2 without their defensive anchor.
“The thing Dylann gives us is leadership in moments of chaos or pressure,” Erickson said. “With Dylann, it is almost like having another coach on the field for us. She has been around for such a long time. That is why it’s so disappointing.”
Next, Oregon ventures into a three-match homestand, which includes battles against the Vikings, Portland (which advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals last season) and Gonzaga.
Erickson insisted that, as cliché as it sounds, her squad is focused solely on its 1 p.m. game against Portland State, a team she helped turn around as a head coach from 2001-04.
“They haven’t brought Portland up,” Erickson said. “The girls know it is looming in the future, but in a good way; not a bad way.”
Garbin is still coming to grips with her new role.
“Things come to an end,” said Garbin, who hopes to play on a professional team. “My time has come. I am a spectator. It’s hard.”
Erickson said Garbin won’t be soon forgotten.
“She will always be a part of our team,” Erickson said.