Three weeks ago, a postseason berth seemed out of the question for the Oregon women’s soccer team. Now it’s all they can talk about.
The squad dropped its first six games in conference play, but stormed back, winning its last three contests. Oregon (7-8-3) must achieve a .500 record in order to qualify for the NCAA tournament. That means a win and a tie in Northern California this weekend, the toughest road trip in the conference against Cal and Stanford.
Cal (7-5-5) and Oregon find themselves in a similar situation. Both are on the bubble of the NCAA tournament and a solid final weekend could make or break their postseason chances. When the two teams meet Friday, the Bears will be without senior Alex Morgan, the program’s leading goal scorer. Morgan’s departure to the U.S. Women’s National Team may help or hurt the Ducks though, Oregon head coach Tara Erickson was quick to point out.
“I’m obviously happy she’s not with the team,” Erickson said. “But because she’s not there, we don’t know what Cal will look like on Friday.”
The Golden Bears have lost two of their last three contests, although one of those games was against Stanford. Historically both Bay Area schools have been postseason teams, so Erickson knows her girls have their work cut out for them.
“Cal wants it, no question about that,” Erickson said. “We might even need two wins to get us in, but we definitely need to focus on Friday before we can think about Stanford.”
Stanford (16-0-2) went to the national championship last season and returns almost every impact player. The major loss is Kelley O’Hara, who was awarded the Hermann Trophy for her efforts last season. The award is the highest accolade available in women’s college soccer, given to the most valuable player in the country.
But Stanford is hardly without firepower. Senior Christen Press leads all scorers with 21 goals. That number is more than two-thirds of Oregon’s entire goal production this season. Elsewhere on the pitch, Tualatin, Ore., native Courtney Verloo is a versatile player who appears at both defender and forward. Erickson heavily recruited the two-time Gatorade State Player of the Year, but couldn’t land one of the nation’s top recruits.
The Cardinal is riding a 15-match win streak. In Stanford’s last six contests, they outscored opponents 18-1. Even in a power-packed conference, teams rarely play the Cardinal straight up tactically. Coach Erickson’s Ducks are unlikely to be an exception.
“We can’t completely pack the box against them because they have so many dynamic weapons,” Erickson said. “They’ve also figured out how to interchange players at the top which has made them an even more dangerous team.”
To Oregon’s credit, they are unfazed by the daunting task ahead. A three-game win streak and two consecutive shutouts can do wonders for a team’s confidence. Sophomore transfer Mo Fitzgerald spoke for the team in accepting this weekend’s challenge with open arms.
“We have so much positive energy going forward,” Fitzgerald said. “It’s David and Goliath against Stanford, but soccer is a funny game and anything can happen.”
Oregon learned firsthand how soccer can be a high variance sport this season. Consistently outshooting opponents throughout the first half of their schedule, the Ducks struggled to find wins. But make no mistake, the team has transitioned well over the last three weeks and currently plays much better soccer than in the early season. Senior Jen Stoltenberg reflected on the team’s trajectory.
“It’s not even about the records, we know we can win out and the postseason is in our mind because we’re really coming together,” Stoltenberg said.
A win and a tie this weekend are a tall order. On top of that, it might not even get the Ducks into the tournament. Last season, Oregon finished at 9-10-1 after wilting in the conference schedule, missing postseason play. Two years ago, the Ducks were again .500 on the nose but dropped consecutive matches at home to conclude the schedule and narrowly missed another tournament. This season, the goal was clear from day one.
“It comes up in conversation all the time, how much we want to make the NCAA tournament,” Fitzgerald said. “We had two shutouts last weekend for a reason; our defense was solid and Parlee was good, we’re all coming together.”
Oregon will play Cal at 3 p.m. at Edwards Field in Berkeley, before taking on Stanford at Cagan Stadium on Sunday.
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Soccer eyes postseason berth as it takes on Cal, No. 1 Stanford
Daily Emerald
November 3, 2010
Jack Hunter
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