After 10 games, the Ducks’ soccer team sits at a respectable 5-3-2 going into their conference schedule.@@checked@@
The team has exceeded expectations this year due to a talented freshman class of Kristen Parr, Maryn Beutler, Taylor Boyer, Dana Connors, Mariah Powers, Brooke Strawn, Kira Wagoner and Cara Wegner. @@names checked http://www.goducks.com/SportSelect.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=500&SPID=237&SPSID=4315@@
This class has had a huge impact, with some getting starting minutes and some, such as Wagoner and Boyer in reserve roles, coming in and scoring momentum-shifting goals.
Powers and Beutler have been aggressive on defense and give this squad a relentless grit that fans are starting to recognize. That, paired with strong play from Abby Steele in the net, has led to the Ducks giving up a stingy 0.8 goals per game. @@http://www.goducks.com/downloads2/487410.htm?ATCLID=205640911&SPSID=4316&SPID=237&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=500@@
But the biggest surprise from this recruiting class is undoubtedly Parr. She leads the team in goals with six, and no other player has scored twice. It didn’t take long for her to become the focal point of the offense as she scored the only two goals in the first match of the season against UAB at the new Pape Field.
When the offense starts to dull, the midfielders look to get Parr the ball as she breaks away down the sidelines. One-on-one, Parr is a nightmare for the defense with her dominant dribbling and powerful striking once she gets in the box.
The team is counting on Parr’s foot to stay golden as they break into conference play. They have struggled to score against some of their tougher opponents with all three of their losses and one of their two ties ending without a goal from the Ducks. The Ducks are so far undefeated when scoring at least once. @@http://www.goducks.com/SportSelect.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=500&SPID=237&SPSID=4314@@
As Parr garners more attention, those one-on-one matchups will become less frequent and the team will need to spread out the shot attempts in order to be successful.
One thing that will always keep the Ducks in the game is a brutal defense led by Scout Libke and Mo Fitzgerald@@http://projects.registerguard.com/web/newsspringfieldextra/28629531-41/thurston-team-boyer-freshman-soccer.html.csp@@. Pushed by the intensity head coach Tara Erickson demands, it’s a group that refuses to be bullied by any team and frequently sends opposing players to the pitch. @@names checked@@ @@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=4313&SPID=237&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=107358&Q_SEASON=2012@@
After a crushing 1-0 loss to then-No. 12 BYU, the team was down but still optimistic about the rest of the season. @@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPID=237&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=205694477@@
“We want to win games like this, not be in games like this,” Erickson said after the BYU loss, in which the Cougars scored in the fifth minute and staved off the Ducks the rest of the way.
The Pac-12 schedule will be a challenge and will serve as a definitive measure of talent and will. In late September the Ducks will play No. 2 Stanford in Palo Alto, Calif., and it doesn’t get much easier after that with games against fellow ranked teams UCLA and Oregon State.
At the halfway mark, they still have five of their remaining 10 games at the beautiful new Pape Field, where they are consistently fueled by a raucous and attendance-record breaking crowd that has fallen in love with the character of this squad. A 4-1 home record is evidence to the advantage the Pape crowd has given them.