The Oregon Ducks women’s soccer team hosted the Western Oregon Wolves to a scoreless draw in its third game of the spring season at Papé Field on Saturday night. The game was played in three, 25 minute periods.
The Ducks came out in a 4-4-2 formation, the same shape used to beat Portland 4-0 two weeks ago.
Kaitlyn Paculba continuously created shots on target. Her second attempt was a header that was cleared off the goal line by a Wolve’s defender as it was about to roll in.
“I’m glad I created those,” Paculba said. “I need to work on finishing them.”
Paculba has goals she’s striving for in the rest of the spring season and into the fall.
“I want to put some in the back of the net,” Paculba said. “Just continue to create chances.”
Keeper Leah Freeman and her defense stayed calm and collected against the Wolves’ high octane offense. Freeman dribbled the ball 20 yards from her own box, made a player miss with wonderful footwork and drilled a pass for Callan Harrington to run on to in the opposing corner.
The Wolves offensive efforts were thwarted by Croix Soto and Anna Phillips before they could develop into anything too threatening. Any attack that made it past the defense was immediately extinguished by Freeman.
“They had a very high press,” Paculba said of the Wolves’ play style. “They never stopped. I feel like we could do so much better, but we played down to their level. They challenged us to work hard and not let anything go.”
The goal of the spring is progress, and ball movement has been a point of emphasis. In the second period, Zoe Hasenauer showcased her ability, providing a beautiful diagonal pass to Jordan Snyder. Snyder’s whipping shot rattled off the top corner of the cross bar.
The majority of the final two periods were played in the Wolves half with Hasenauer and Paculba creating multiple chances in front of the net.
The final score was 0-0. The wear of the hard fought draw could be seen with players cramping in the closing minutes.
The final game of the spring soccer season will be on May 22, at Papé Field when the Oregon Ducks will host the Oregon State Beavers.
