The Oregon women’s soccer team will look to pick up its first conference win of the season this weekend as it travels south to take on the University of Arizona tonight and Arizona State on Sunday afternoon.
Hovering around the bottom of the Pacific-10 Conference standings sit the Wildcats (4-13-1, 1-6-0 Pacific-10 Conference), the Sun Devils (7-7-3, 0-6-1 Pac-10) and the Oregon Ducks (8-9-1, 0-7-0 Pac-10). And like many other Pac-10 sports, women’s soccer holds a surplus of national talent, which has resulted in some exceptional teams near the bottom of the pack struggling to get a win.
“It’s funny because all of these teams within the Pac-10 are all good teams,” fifth-year head coach Tara Erickson said. “I don’t think you can look at any of our records and go, ‘Oh, they’re not a very good team.’”
Erickson commented that after most matches the opposing team has been surprised at just how good the Ducks actually are, even though their record may reflect otherwise. And even though Oregon has dropped seven straight Pac-10 games, senior Teresa Bowns said that there are still things the team is trying to improve on.
“Our major focus is probably just mental toughness,” Bowns said. “Our team’s had a tendency to give up a goal, then a couple minutes later give up another one. And so we’re just trying to make sure that we know it’s okay to give up a goal, but not to give up two back-to-back.”
That was the case in last weekend’s matchup with the Washington schools, as both the Huskies and the Cougars tallied all five of their combined goals in a span of 10 minutes or less. But as the season winds down for Bowns and her fellow seniors, they have tried to keep a positive mindset.
“It’s tough,” Bowns said. “But you know, you look at the big scheme of things and ultimately all of us as seniors just want the program to be successful, whether it’s this year, next year or five years from now.”
The team’s ability to stay focused and show up to practice day in and day out has shown Erickson just what kind of character her squad has.
“I think the kids have done a good job of staying positive,” she said. “And all they really want to do is win.”
Oregon had no trouble winning last year when they traveled to Arizona and picked up back-to-back 1-0 wins — the teams only two conference wins of the year — and they will look to end this season on a positive note as well.
Both teams feature a talented scorer with Arizona’s Renae Cuellar and Arizona State’s Alexandra Elston. Cuellar leads the Wildcats with six goals in her 15 games played, while Elston has tallied five goals and five assists on the year. They will have to compete with Oregon’s junior forward Jen Stoltenberg, who leads the team with eight goals and has also tacked on four assists. And, Bowns said, the team is eager to pick up its first win since Oct. 3.
“We were able to beat the Arizona schools last year, so I don’t think we expect anything less this year,” she said.
Bowns, along with senior defenders and captains Danielle Sweeney and Dani Oster, will break their own record for most matches played in school history as they approach their 79th consecutive match played.
But for the senior class, this weekend will be bigger than winning and losing; it will be about leaving a positive mark on this young Oregon program for years to come.
“Every year, no matter how you do, it matters for the future years to come,” Bowns said. “And hopefully we can just get a couple wins this weekend and build the momentum for next year.”
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Now’s the chance for a Pac-10 win
Daily Emerald
November 5, 2009
Jack Hunter
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