The Oregon Ducks (5-8-2, 1-1-5 Big Ten) and Michigan Wolverines (2-11-2, 1-6-1 Big Ten) women’s soccer teams fought to a competitive 1-1 draw this Saturday at Eugene’s Papé Field. The game was Oregon’s last home game of the 2024 season and also marked the team’s Senior Day.
Before kickoff, fans and players alike honored the team’s six seniors and graduate students.
“It’s emotional today,” Ducks goalkeeper Maddy Goldberg said postgame. “It was definitely a good goodbye for the folks not coming back next year.”
The game’s first half was a back-and-forth affair. Oregon controlled the ball for most of the first half hour, while Michigan struggled to find much offensive momentum.
After threatening Michigan goalkeeper Stephanie Sparkowski on multiple occasions, Oregon’s offense finally broke through in the 25th minute. After the Ducks won a deep throw-in, freshman forward Taylor Person found sophomore Grace Mensah, who lifted the ball over Sparkowski and into the Wolverines’ goal.
It was the first career goal for Mensah, who alternates between midfield and offensive roles. “It felt really good,” Mensah said after the game. “I was just really proud of my teammates and all our effort.”
“We should have won the game in the first 30 minutes,” said Ducks head coach Graeme Abel. “I thought we started the game really well, created a ton of chances and took it to them.”
After seizing a 1-0 lead, Oregon slowed offensively. Michigan’s offense slowly took control and began a series of downfield pushes.
The Wolverines’ first attempts failed to challenge Goldberg, who missed Thursday’s 0-0 draw against No. 5 Michigan State after receiving a red card in the team’s previous matchup against USC. However, in the 40th minute, Michigan’s Sierra Sargent launched a left-footed shot from outside the 18-yard-box, which floated over Goldberg’s outstretched fingertips and into the net to equalize the teams at a goal apiece.
While Oregon’s offense couldn’t muster anything else before halftime, it started this year’s last second half with a bang. Just two minutes in, redshirt senior forward Taylor Bryan got free and produced an almost identical shot to Sargent’s equalizer.
Bryan’s shot got over the diving Sparkowski but went just past the wide-open net, falling in-bounds just past the goalpost and towards the feet of uncovered midfielder Haley McWhirter. McWhirter got a good touch and sent the ball goalwards, but Michigan defender Avery Kalitta made an incredible goal-saving play, appearing from nowhere to pin the ball between her legs just before it crossed the goal line.
The game then continued its course as a gritty, back-and-forth game. In the 60th minute, Kalitta was given Michigan’s second yellow card of the game for a rough challenge at midfield.
“Welcome to the Big Ten,” said Abel. “It’s a really good soccer conference, but I certainly think there’s a more physical aspect to the conference.”
Goldberg saw continued action as the game went on, making a diving save shortly after Kalitta’s yellow card, making a clean series of deflections in the 70th minute and catching a line-drive shot a minute later.
Tensions continued to escalate as both offenses made late pushes. Oregon nearly broke through in the 82nd minute, but Sparkowski managed to reach up and tip the shot over the crossbar. In the 86th minute, McWhiter found the ball on the edge of the 18-yard box and fired a powerful shot, but it was deflected out of bounds for a corner on which the Ducks couldn’t capitalize.
Fans applauded the Ducks, especially the seniors, as they departed Papé Field following the draw. “They’re incredible people [with] what they’ve added to our locker room,” said Abel. “Just fortunate to have those types of people in the locker room, and we’re fortunate they’re good soccer players as well.”
Oregon is back in action on Thursday, Oct. 17, when it’ll visit Omaha’s Nebraska Cornhuskers (4-9-1, 1-6-1 Big Ten) in what’ll be the first of the season’s final three games.
