The Oregon women’s soccer team fell to rival Oregon State on Friday night at Papé Field in its second all-time loss to the Beavers.
In the seventh edition of the annual Civil War and the final game for both teams, the Ducks found themselves trailing early and couldn’t rally in a 2-1 loss.
Oregon State began its charge in the 28th minute as forward Katie Henderson scored from five yards center after senior goalkeeper Sarah Peters raced out for the save. The ball was lost in a crowd, but the Beavers recovered to cross it parallel to the net, where Henderson converted.
The Beavers clinched the game with two minutes left in the first half when forward Tessa Baker sprinted up the center of the field, split the defense and found the back of the net from 17 yards out.
Again, Peters charged out of the box to try and wrap up the ball, and a split-second move by Baker allowed the Beavers to take a 2-0 lead.
“Oregon State stayed very composed and organized,” Oregon head coach Bill Steffen said. “We made mistakes and lost battles in the first half that cost us, and as a result, we dug ourselves a hole we couldn’t get out of.”
Amid pouring rain and 47 degree temperatures, Oregon found itself 65 minutes into play before it scored. Junior midfielder Lindsey Werdell began Oregon’s offensive charge by scoring from 18 yards center on a penalty kick to put the Ducks on the scoreboard.
Oregon rallied in the last seconds of the game, seeking the goal that would press the game to overtime. However, amid the desperation, the Ducks could not find that last score.
“We just couldn’t put one in the back of the net. We were so close so many times,” senior forward Amanda Orand said. “It was a very emotional game for us; it was at night, and it was our last game. We wanted to go out strong and had a lot of opportunities. It just didn’t fall our way.”
Oregon ends the season at 2-14-2 overall and 1-7-1 in the Pacific-10 Conference. For Orand and Peters, along with seniors Sarah Denner, Lindsey Peterson and Robi Thayer, it was the last time the five Ducks would step on the field of battle for Oregon.
“It’s like it has kind of hit me but it hasn’t totally hit me yet,” Peters said. “It’s the last time that I’ll ever step on the field in an Oregon uniform, and it’s kind of sad and upsetting, but even though our record doesn’t show it, we played hard this season, and it’s a great team.”