The Oregon Ducks women’s soccer team (1-0-1) took the field for the second time this season as they hosted the University of Portland Pilots (0-0-1) in a defensive showdown for both teams that ended in a 0-0 tie. Oregon took 8 total shots and Portland took 9, while Ducks goalkeeper Caeley Goldstein made two saves and Portland keeper Sophia Hills made three.

“I felt like on Thursday, on both sides of the ball, we needed to be way more aggressive defensively, in transition, and getting into attack,” Oregon head coach Tracy Joyner said. “I felt like there was huge growth that took place.”

Portland had the ball on the Oregon side of the field for the first two minutes. It committed a couple of early fouls, which gave the Ducks a chance, but they came up empty inside the box about five minutes in.

The Pilots brought the ball back across midfield in the ninth minute, but the Oregon defense stood strong to prevent a shot attempt.

The Ducks had a great opportunity in the 12th minute when Taylor Bryan faced Hills one-on-one, but missed wide right by about a foot. They got a couple more shots off from farther out in the next couple minutes, but Hills was in the right place each time.

The Pilots finally got their first shot off in the 17th minute from around the corner of the penalty box but missed wide by several feet. Oregon brought the ball back the other way and Bryan had another scoring opportunity from short, but kicked it straight to Hills.

Portland had a nice opportunity in the 25th minute when all the Ducks defenders were beaten, but this time it was the Oregon goalkeeper, Goldstein, who stood her ground to keep the game scoreless.

The Ducks had another empty possession a couple minutes later. That was followed by several minutes of back and forth action without any shot attempts until the 34th minute, when Portland sent the ball high over the goal post from the top of the box.

Bryan had another opportunity for the Ducks in the 39th minute when she broke free at midfield, but the Pilots were able to catch her before she got to the penalty box.

Portland got into the box on the other side a couple minutes later, but the Oregon defense stood its ground to force a goal kick and keep the score 0-0 going into halftime.

The second half opened with a couple of fouls against the Ducks. Portland had a nice look on an indirect free kick from near midfield, but Goldstein stepped up for Oregon and sent the ball the other way.

Oregon had another great chance in the 56th minute thanks to an incredibly accurate indirect free kick up the middle, but the header just missed left.

The Pilots nearly got on the board at the 64-minute mark, but a save by Goldstein gave the defense the chance to get the ball out of the penalty box and take it back the other way.

Portland had another opportunity in the 72nd minute when the ball was kicked across the box parallel to the goal, but there was no one home to put it in. It was able to get a shot off from farther out less than a minute later, but still could not connect.

Oregon had yet another opportunity in the 87th minute, but a long shot from beyond the box sailed just over the post. It could not get another shot off before Portland took it the other way. On a questionable foul call a minute later that gave Portland a free kick, Goldstein stepped up one last time, following the shot the whole way to secure the 0-0 draw.

Next, the Ducks travel to Hawaii to face Sacramento State University on August 21 and the University of Hawaiʻi on August 24.