Junior forward Mele French led the Ducks in shots (5) and shots on goal (3) in Sunday’s victory against Gonzaga. French also had a goal Friday night against Wyoming.
The Oregon women’s soccer team took steps in the right direction this weekend.
After a tough non-conference schedule left the Ducks 1-6-1 to start the season, Oregon won a pair of important weekend matches against Wyoming and Gonzaga at Papé Field.
The Ducks dropped the Bulldogs 1-0 in sudden death overtime Sunday on a goal by defender Katie Abrahamson. The junior headed a ball into the top left corner of the net, off a corner kick by junior midfielder Carlie Ashcraft, during the 93rd minute.
“It feels good to finally put one in,” Abrahamson said. “I was so happy, I went a little crazy and screamed pretty loud. Coming in, we needed to get some wins, so this is a confidence builder.”
The Zags had several opportunities to score throughout the match. The first came at the 11:58 mark when midfielder Walker Loseno’s shot found the side of the net on the left post edge. Another golden
opportunity came in the second half when a shot off a corner kick sailed wide left.
Both teams struggled to a 0-0 tie in regulation, which set up the drama in the sudden death overtime period.
Ashcraft’s first corner kick came in low and was deflected out-of-bounds, which gave the Ducks a second chance. Ashcraft’s second corner kick ended up in the perfect position.
“The object (on corner kicks) is to be consistent,” Ashcraft said. “The one before was a little too low, so the second one was higher, and Katie is always really solid in the air.”
The goal was Abrahamson’s first of the season and second of her
career. The winning assist from Ashcraft was her second of the
season and the eighth in her career, which ties her for fourth all-time for the Ducks.
“Today was a tremendous team
effort,” Oregon head coach Bill Steffen said. “We found a way to keep battling and not give up. The two wins were great. One was a pretty one, and one was a gritty one.”
The Gonzaga victory followed an impressive 3-1 win against Wyoming on Friday night.
Well-rested — after a month on the road — and looking to snap a five-match losing streak, Oregon came out on the offensive attack and kept Wyoming goalkeeper Ashley Sheppard busy for the entire first
half. The Ducks scored twice
and had a handful of near-misses.
Oregon held a 13-5 advantage in shots in the first half and shots on goal (13-5) for the entire match.
Freshman Kami Kapaku led the charge with six shots, five of them on goal, as well as a goal in the 29th minute. Her second goal of the season was preceded by teammate Mele French’s first.
“Mele made a big impact for us on top,” Steffen said. “But all in all, it was a solid team effort.”
The score remained 2-0 until Wyoming’s Melissa Bowman scored on a penalty kick, after senior defender Christine Mintz was issued a red card for her tackle from behind of Wyoming’s Mercy Adetoye.
Playing an athlete down for the entire second half, the Ducks continued to force tempo, adding an insurance goal in the 61st minute, courtesy of redshirt sophomore
forward Andrea Valadez.
Oregon’s defenders kept Wyoming’s attackers in front of them and away from goalkeeper Domenique Lainez for most of the match. Lainez only recorded four saves against Wyoming. In comparison, Lainez recorded 11 saves in last month’s match against Portland.
“We stayed focused tonight and didn’t give up,” Lainez said. “That’s why we won. We worked hard in the first half, and it paid off. It was nice to get that third goal because it made it a little easier on us.”
