The Oregon women’s club soccer team thrashed Oregon State by a 5-0 score on Sunday in a dominating performance that included a hat trick from sophomore midfielder Brianna Joseph.
The clean sheet was as easy as they come for keeper Erica Squires, thanks to a great defensive performance from the Ducks, who held Oregon State to just one shot on goal.
The Ducks were able to take the lead midway through the first half, when Joseph fired a shot off the left post and junior Kristina Lekas scored on the rebound. Just over 15 minutes later, Joseph scored her first goal of the night to give the Ducks a 2-0 lead.
Oregon nearly added two more in the first half, but a pair of chances inside the final 10 minutes weren’t to be. In the 39th minute, Lekas almost added her second goal of the night, and three minutes later Joseph sent a shot over the crossbar, just missing the back of the net.
Oregon wasted little time expanding on the lead in the second half, with Joseph scoring her second of the night in the 46th minute.
Oregon State’s best chance of the match came just after the hour mark, when the Beavers had numbers downfield, but solid defense from the Ducks didn’t allow the Beavers a shot on goal.
In the 73rd minute, the Ducks had three consecutive chances at goal but had two shots saved by Oregon State’s keeper before a third shot went wide.
The Ducks kept the pressure on, however, and freshman Adrian Hill scored in the 76th minute to give the Ducks a 4-0 edge. Joseph finished off her hat trick to give Oregon the 5-0 win.
“We were dangerous in the final third, and we were able to finish our chances, so that’s always good,” head coach Dave Peterson said after the game. “5-0 means you’re finishing your chances, and I like that.”
While he was happy with the team’s performance, there were some areas where Peterson would like to see the Ducks improve.
“We had 21 shots to their one, but of those 21 shots, only nine were on frame,” he said. “If I was going to draw up a performance goal, 65 to 70 percent of our shots being on goal.”
Still, the bevy of shots the Ducks had allowed them to excel in Peterson’s style of play.
“I like to play attacking soccer, I like to play physical soccer, and I like to play opportunistic,” he said.
Team captain Alle MacLeod said the Ducks wanted to use the Civil War as an opportunity to prepare for next week’s tournament at UCLA, but said teams from California play a much different style than the Beavers.
Peterson also said the Ducks will face much more of a challenge next week because teams from California play a much faster, and much more organized, game.
“If we can beat OSU 5-0, that’s no indication of what the results are going to be like at UCLA,” Peterson said.
In the tournament, the Ducks will face the likes of USC and UCLA, and Peterson said he is expecting the Bruins to be very motivated against Oregon.
“Last year we had to put in the tying goal against UCLA in the final minute, so I’m sure they’re looking for a little payback, ” he said. “It should be a good game to watch.”
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