The Oregon women’s soccer team (8-9-2, 3-6-1 Pac-12) travels to Paul Lorenz Field at Patrick Wayne Valley Stadium in Corvallis tonight for the first Civil War matchup of the 2011-2012 year. For the Ducks’ senior class of Lindsay Parlee, Cody Miles and Taylor Jones, it will be one last chance to notch a win against the Beavers (13-5-1, 7-3-0 Pac-12).
Losses to California and Stanford last weekend eliminated the Ducks from postseason contention, but head coach Tara Erickson says the Ducks can still call the year a success.@@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=107358@@
“We’ve had ups and downs and it’s not all about just making the postseason,” Erickson said. “Getting a win over the Beavers would make it that much sweeter.”
Oregon State is led offensively by junior Chelsea Buckland and sophomore Jenna Richardson. Buckland and Richardson have both played for junior Canadian national teams and will pose a challenge for the Ducks defensively.@@http://www.osubeavers.com/sports/w-soccer/mtt/buckland_chelsea00.html@@ @@http://www.osubeavers.com/sports/w-soccer/mtt/richardson_jenna00.html@@
“We need to defend not only those two players,” Erickson said. “We need to defend hard all over the field but really keep an eye on those two.”
Buckland and Richardson have combined to score over half of the Beavers’ goals on the year. With 18 goals between the two, they also match the total number of goals the Ducks have scored as a team.@@http://www.osubeavers.com/sports/w-soccer/stats/2011-2012/teamcume.html#TEAM.IND@@
Oregon State averages 12.5 shots a game while allowing an average of less than ten shots.@@http://www.osubeavers.com/sports/w-soccer/stats/2011-2012/teamcume.html#TEAM.TEM@@
The Ducks have 12 freshmen on its roster and the Civil War will be the first-ever game against the Beavers for nearly half of the team. Freshman Bri Pugh is looking forward to the game because it’s yet another opportunity to play against a talented team.@@http://www.goducks.com/SportSelect.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=500&SPID=237&SPSID=4315@@ @@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=4315&SPID=237&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=205088917&Q_SEASON=2011@@
“I’m super excited,” Pugh said. “They’ve been doing really good this year and I’m excited to play another good team.”
The upperclassmen have also been teaching the freshman all year about the Oregon-Oregon State rivalry.
“They know they are our enemies,” junior Julie Armstrong said. “We say it in the locker room, so they know what this game is about.”@@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=4315&SPID=237&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=3705773&Q_SEASON=2011@@
The Ducks will look to possess the ball and make smart plays offensively. If they can do that, they like their chances.
“We need to find those easy balls and score the easy goals,” Pugh said.
While any rivalry game is a big game, Erickson said that the Ducks aren’t giving the Beavers any special treatment. In a conference like the Pac-12, Erickson said, you need to respect every opponent.
“Every game is a big game for us,” Erickson said. “Oregon State will provide just as much of an incentive as Washington or UCLA or any of the other teams that we’ve played.”
The Ducks will look forward to increased playing time from Armstrong, who missed a large chunk of this season with a hamstring injury. Armstrong played limited time in losses last weekend to Cal and Stanford, but she is ready to play significantly more minutes if the coaches call her number.
“I’m not fully back, but I’m trying to get there,” Armstrong said. “I’d really like (to start) but it’s up to the coaches.”
Oregon State also brings a physical presence to the pitch and in a rivalry game, Erickson says the Ducks can’t be intimidated by physical play.
“We’re going to need to match their physicality, if not beat it,” Erickson said.
In goal for Oregon State will be senior Colleen Boyd. In 17 starts this season, Boyd has posted an 11-5-1 record while allowing just 11 goals while making 55 saves.@@http://www.osubeavers.com/sports/w-soccer/mtt/boyd_colleen00.html@@ @@http://www.osubeavers.com/sports/w-soccer/stats/2011-2012/teamcume.html#TEAM.IND@@
Even with a loss this evening, the Ducks will finish the year with more wins than they had last year. With a freshmen-laden roster, the Ducks are using tonight’s game as a building block for the future.
Oregon soccer heads to Corvallis for Civil War
Daily Emerald
November 2, 2011
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