Soccer
The Oregon women’s soccer team will get the chance to start over this weekend.
A chance to forget the past and wipe the slate clean.
The Ducks get that chance as conference play begins against Washington, today at 7 p.m., and Washington State, Sunday at 1 p.m. Both games will be home at Papé Field.
Oregon is off to its worst start ever at 1-7-1 and is currently last in the Pac-10.
The Ducks have not won since a tournament win on Sept. 22 against Wisconsin-Green Bay in Corvallis. Oregon has lost its last three games and may be due for a win, but Washington won’t make it easy.
The No. 19 Huskies are winless in their last three games, all on the road. All three matches were against top-10 ranked teams, which complicates things for Oregon.
“They are really going to try and come after us as hard as they can,” Oregon assistant coach Jon Kiester said.
Oregon had its best Pac-10 performance against Washington last season in Seattle, an intense battle that ended in a 1-1 tie after overtime. The Ducks were very excited about the performance last year and want to prove themselves now that the Huskies are coming to Papé Field.
“We want to play better than that at home,” senior forward Sarah Denner said. “We are focusing on what we need to do to be our best.”
Prior to the 2001 matchup, Oregon had lost to the Huskies five times from 1996-99. But with Washington struggling on the road and the Ducks talking about having something to prove, it could be anyone’s game.
Less than 48 hours after the Huskies game, the Ducks will face off with Washington State on Sunday at Papé Field.
The Ducks-Cougars matchup proves favorable for Oregon if history repeats itself. Oregon blew out Washington State 4-0 last year in Pullman. The Cougars were victorious in 2000 in Eugene but in 1999, the Ducks won 2-1 in overtime.
“They have been through the rigors as much as anyone else,” said Oregon head coach Bill Steffen, referring to the Cougars.
Washington State started the season strong, but has lost four of its last five en route to a 6-4-0 record. The Cougars’ last win came against Gonzaga, an 8-0 pounding on Sept. 22.
Oregon’s rivalry with the Washington schools extends beyond this history. Many of the Ducks have competed with the Huskies and Cougars in league or club play in the past. It comes down to more than a game for the Ducks, it’s a matter of pride and bragging rights as well.
Junior forward Melissa Bennet leads the way for Washington in tonight’s match with 18 points and 10 assists under her belt already. The Huskies can feel comfortable with their defense with senior goalkeeper Hope Solo sporting a 1.14 goals-against-average and has
45 saves.
Solo has been a three-time Pac-10 first-team honoree and was the league player of the year in 2001.
For the Cougars, junior forward Nicole Wilcox leads the way in scoring with five goals and 32 shots followed by freshman forward Alix Rustrum at four goals and five assists. Goalkeeper Sara Leibowitz is a threat, as she has already posted three shutouts and a 0.90 GAA in eight of nine games starting.
Oregon is led by senior Amanda Orand, who has two goals and five shots on goal this season. Freshmen midfielders Carlie Ashcraft and Cristan Higa have also proven their status as strong offensive players.
“We have good rivalries with those two teams,” Steffen said. “We’ll be pumped for them and they’ll be pumped for us.”
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