Lindsey Werdell is easily embarrassed.
For Werdell, speaking in front of a group of people is like standing in front of a firing squad.
“I’m pretty shy so I just get embarrassed by being put on the spot, like talking in front of a group of people,” the senior captain of the Oregon women’s soccer team said. “I get really nervous and I start holding my breath and then I turn bright red, and then I realize I’m red so I start getting more nervous.”
Even bringing up the topic of how easily she becomes embarrassed leaves her blushing.
But there is more to the story of the Eugene native that wears No. 18. Werdell may stick to the shy side more often than not, but she’s not afraid to try different things.
“I haven’t done anything crazy, but I would,” she said. “I want to go skydiving and I would go bungee jumping or do stuff like that.”

Beyond the blushing
Werdell has long been an outdoor enthusiast. Every winter, she makes trips to Whistler Blackcomb Ski Resort to snowboard and during the summers she enjoys backpacking at places like Glacier National Park.
“I just like the outdoors a lot and I like trying new things,” she said.
Through four years of backpacking, Werdell has found herself in situations where being shy is not an option. For instance, she was backpacking with friends near Mt. Jefferson in Oregon and a rock slide blocked the trail, causing them to be lost for an entire day.
“One guy almost fell off of a cliff and luckily he held onto a tree,” Werdell said of being trapped in a ravine. “We were all freaking out. After that we got a GPS and made sure we let people know where we were going before we went.”

Back on the field
When Werdell is on the field, she remains composed and likes to use her experience to slow the game down.
“Lindsey is very stable and consistent,” Oregon head coach Bill Steffen said. “She’s quiet and controlled.”
Werdell is one of just two seniors on the soccer team this year, along with goalkeeper Mary Etter who joined the team last season.
As a four-year veteran, Werdell has seen her play develop dramatically in terms of speed and taking more responsibility on offense.

“I noticed that she is more determined and her game is more important to her,” former high school teammate and Oregon freshman Kaily Winther said.
Werdell’s abilities, when it comes to ball handling, resemble Magic Johnson, an NBA Hall of Famer.
“I’ve always had pretty good vision on the field,” she said. “So like I’ll get the ball at my feet and I’ll be able to notice the open person even if (they’re) really not straight ahead in my sight of vision.”

Leading by example
Werdell has taken more responsibility than just leading by example as an upperclassman. She is also the Oregon team captain after her teammates voted her into the position earlier this year.
Thus far, it seems to be going well.
It isn’t the first time Werdell has held the captain position. During her junior and senior seasons at Churchill High, Werdell was team captain.
“She’s a really good leader on the team,” Winther said.
Steffen is also confident about Werdell being in charge of the Ducks. He remarked that although Werdell is “very quiet,” she needs only prove herself by her actions.
“She’s very good about leading by example,” the eighth-year head coach said. “She’s a doer versus a talker.”

Before the Ducks
Werdell, a Eugene native, spent her prep days as a four-year starter at Churchill High. While she was there she was the recipient of the Dean’s Scholarship and the U.S. Army Reserve National Scholar/Athlete Award.
When it came to graduation, Werdell’s hardest decision was where to attend college. In high school, she was listed as “Who’s Who” among the nation’s high school students in her junior and senior years.
“To tell you the truth, I wanted to go to OSU as a little kid,” she said. “Oregon State actually ended up offering me more money than Oregon did, and I had a really good friend that was going to Oregon State, so I was really considering it. But when it came down to it, I kind of wanted to stay home in my own town, and I couldn’t imagine myself living in Corvallis because it’s so small.”
And to Oregon she came, where in her first season in 2000 she played 13 games and recorded two shots. Now, as a senior, Werdell holds the longest starting streak for the Ducks at 45 games. She has started every game since the start of her sophomore year.

Bring on the Pilots
After returning home from a difficult three-week road trip where the Ducks finished 2-4, Oregon (5-4) has its work cut out in facing defending national champion Portland on Friday and Weber State on Sunday afternoon.
“It’s good coming back home even though we are playing last year’s national champion,” Werdell said. “It’s going to be a tough game. I mean, we are obviously not expected to win, but we should have a really good game against them. And then we should beat Weber (State).”
Oregon finishes its final nonconference weekend against the Pilots, who defeated the Ducks 3-0 last year in Portland. It will be ideal for Oregon to capitalize on the opportunities it creates. In the last four games, the Ducks have taken a combined 38 shots but did not score a goal.
“We’re excited to be home and excited to be playing the defending national champions,” Steffen said. “We have to put forward our best effort.”
Redshirt sophomore Nicole Garbin continues to lead the offense with four goals, 37 shots and 14 shots on goal this season.
The Pilots are currently ranked in the top seven of all four major soccer polls.
Werdell will have to lead her Ducks against one of their toughest opponents all season. And in order for Oregon to succeed, Werdell and the Ducks need to make some noise and put a few in the back of the net.