The Oregon women’s soccer team finished its season in style with a 2-1 win over the first place Washington Huskies on Oct. 26 in its only conference win of the season. The season ended with a win, but the Ducks’ season as a whole wasn’t exactly that.

The Ducks finished their season with a record of 1-6-4 in Big Ten play which put them last in the standings with 7 points. This year was an overall improvement in terms of points in the conference standings as they finished with five last season, but Indiana finished with four which meant the Ducks were not in last place in 2024. 

Oregon made a coaching change this season, hiring former University of California-Davis Aggies head coach Tracy Joyner to replace Graeme Abel, who resigned following the 2024 season. Joyner was successful with the Aggies with an overall record of 49-37-8. 

Joyner’s first season didn’t end in many wins, but there were definitely positives from her appointment. One of the players she brought from UC Davis was goalkeeper Caeley Goldstein. Goldstein became an integral part of the team, finishing with 70 saves, fourth most in the Big Ten.

“Oh, I’m so happy for her,” Joyner said in a postgame press conference. “In July, when we were going through the waiver process of getting her year back from UW to come here, we were like, gosh, I love this. The last game of the year is going to be against UW, like, this is awesome. You know, like we couldn’t have driven it like drawn it up better for her. It’s surreal for her, I’m sure, and just what a great way to close out an amazing career.”

Another key player on the team was junior forward Lauren Kenny. She finished the season as the Ducks’ top goal scorer with three goals and one assist. Kenny scored the game winning goal against the Huskies on a hectic goal line tap-in during the final minutes of the game. 

Joyner believes the Ducks’ victory over the Huskies in the final game of the season gives the program the momentum it needs to succeed in the near future.

“Yeah, I think everyone knows that this program is just going to be something that’s on the rise and I know that it’s a desirable place for recruits and players to be,” Joyner said following the win against Washington. “I mean certainly a top win over a top 10 team doesn’t hurt. I think we’re just going to continue to focus on, you know, the things that are going to make us great and it really starts with a really competitive culture that’s founded on respect and like a deep love and understanding for each other and for the game. And I think we’ve certainly started to take massive steps toward that.”

One of the biggest improvements from last season has been the defense. The Ducks allowed 12 fewer goals this season compared to last season in which they allowed 33 goals. The penalties also improved, as they picked up no red cards all season compared to the three Oregon accrued last season.

On the flipside, Oregon scored the same number of goals, 15, as last year, but took 38 more shots, making them less efficient overall. Their shots were also less accurate, with a four percent drop in shots on target.

The upset rivalry victory proved to be a silver lining on Joyner’s first season while also giving the Ducks a great deal of momentum to carry into an important offseason. Oregon will have the chance to prove its a program on the rise rather than a conference bottom feeder going forward.