Mistakes cost the Oregon soccer team two games this weekend as Washington State and No. 2 Washington came to Papé Field and handed the Ducks two losses.
It was an emotional send-off for four Oregon seniors, but the emotion on the Ducks’ faces Sunday was disappointment.
The Ducks — now 4-13-1 overall and 1-5-1 in the Pacific-10 Conference — faced the Cougars on Friday, and Washington State scored two goals in the first 15 minutes of the second half to take the win 2-1. Sunday, Washington blew out Oregon 6-1, despite the fact that the Ducks out-shot the Huskies 20-15.
Friday, Oregon outplayed Washington State in the first half, taking eight shots to the Cougars’ three and constantly pressuring Washington State goalie Lindsey Jorgensen. But the Cougars came out strong in the second frame and scored their goals on similar corner-kick situations. Freshman Rachel Rodrick had both goals, on corner-kicks that junior Beth Childs sent into the 18-yard box. Childs broke Washington State’s career assist record with her second assist Friday.
The Ducks did come back to put a goal on the board Friday, with 11 minutes left in the game. Senior Allyssa White scored her second goal of the season, after a cross from junior Beth Bowler slipped through the Washington State defense and found White with only the goalkeeper to beat. The Ducks continued to pressure the Cougars in the final 10 minutes, but came up empty on several attempts.
“We felt like we played well enough to win,” Oregon coach Bill Steffen said. “We gave them two flukey goals, and didn’t finish our chances.”
Washington also scored one or two “flukey” goals on the Ducks Sunday. The first goal of the game came only 2:47 into the match, when Oregon sophomore goalkeeper Jeanine Norstad misplayed Theresa Wagner’s shot from 20 yards out and the ball slipped into the back of the net. It was the first of a record nine points that Wagner, a senior midfielder, would rack up in the first half.
“Today we were penalized for mistakes that really tore our hearts out of the game,” Steffen said. “It’s an odd thing when you can out-shoot a team and lose 6-1.”
Wagner scored the first two goals of the game, assisted on the next one, then netted the next two as the Huskies jumped out to a 6-0 lead with 10 minutes to play in the first half. Wagner could have had more, but was taken out of the game right before Washington got its sixth. Her four goals tied the Washington record for goals in a single game.
“Within the penalty boxes, they finished their chances where we didn’t finish ours,” Steffen said.
The one chance that Oregon did finish came mid-way through the second half, when Crystal David drove down the center of the field and dished the ball to Bowler, who turned and shot from the edge of the 18-yard box. Her shot went under the outstretched arms of goalie Leslie Weeks, and ended the scoring in the match.
The Ducks will travel to the Bay Area next weekend to take on No. 18 Stanford Friday and No. 6 California Sunday. The two matches will be Oregon’s last of the season.