The Oregon women’s soccer team hosts its first match in more than a month when Wyoming comes to Papé Field tonight.
The last home match for Oregon came against San Diego State on Aug. 29. Since then, the Ducks have gone 1-5 with losses to the 2003 national runner-up Connecticut, 2002 national champion Portland, and NCAA tournament veterans Central Connecticut State and Utah. Oregon’s last victory came on Sept. 3 against Weber State.
Having lost five in a row, the Ducks are looking forward to the boost that playing at home could give them.
“I definitely think (playing at home) will
be an advantage, especially since the season we’ve been having so far,” Oregon junior goalkeeper Domenique Lainez said. “It will
be a great thing to be around our fans. I definitely think that we will be competitive
this weekend.”
Oregon (1-6-1)
vs. Wyoming (5-2-3)
Wyoming, like Oregon, is coming off of a 2003 campaign that saw the school set a record in victories. The Cowgirls also had a very strong spring season, in which they went 7-2-1. The Cowgirls faced the likes of Air Force, Colorado College, Northern Colorado and a pair of top 20 teams in Cal-Poly and San Diego.
“We had a very successful spring; we
won some games but more importantly we got our younger kids some crucial experience,” Wyoming head coach Anne Moore said. “I think they really accepted the responsibility and understand the direction everyone
wants to go.”
One of those young players, freshman goalkeeper Ashley Sheppard, has already stepped up big for the Cowgirls. Sheppard was named Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Week with 14 saves and two shutouts on Sept. 22 and Sept. 26 against Northern Colorado and Cal State Fullerton, respectively.
Oregon head coach Bill Steffan also noted the strong physical play of the Wyoming forwards as a key to the match.
“They are going to be a very physical,
hard working team,” Steffan said. “They have decent pace in the back and one or two dangerous players up top, so they will be a good test for us.”
The play of defenders Kelly Baird and Christine Mintz will be equally important for the Ducks as they look to keep the Wyoming forwards away from goalkeeper Lainez.
“Kelly is a key leader for us defensively and a calming presence in the back,” Steffan said. “She can play against anybody in the country and not get rattled. The team will benefit from her on-field experience and her ability to keep a high level of intensity through the whole season.”
Lainez has surrendered 17
goals in the first eight games, giving her a 2.35 goals against average. The Ducks were almost doubled up on in shots last weekend against Portland and Portland State (36-21 with Portland holding a 27-7 advantage).
Oregon (1-6-1)
vs. Gonzaga (7-3)
Gonzaga rolls into Eugene on Sunday, off to its best start in program history. For the past two
seasons the Bulldogs have recorded 18 wins, surpassing the total number of wins over the previous four seasons. The Bulldogs have won four out of their last five and look to continue that trend behind a 19-5 season advantage in goals against opponents.
“They have some very talented technical individuals,” Steffan said. “Their strength is probably more in the middle of the field instead of the ends, so they will be a little bit of a different challenge (than Wyoming).”
Offensively, the Bulldogs are paced by senior forward Annie Hawkins. Hawkins has five goals and two assists on the season and during the Bulldogs’ four-game winning streak, Hawkins found the net four times, including a game winner.
Freshman striker Heather Horn has also been hot as of late. Horn has recorded a goal in three of the last four games and has also added two assists in that time.
Momentum will be crucial to the Ducks as they prepare to enter another tough conference schedule, starting next week against USC.
“We have lost five in a row,” Oregon freshman forward Kami Kapaku said. “We’re just looking to win.”

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