If you’ve seen Julie McLellan play soccer, raise your hand.
If you’re one of those lucky people with your hands in the air, you know that McLellan is a fighter. She rushes around the soccer field like a kamikaze pilot, barreling through defenders and aggressively attacking any ball that dares to go near her.
So how come she’s so nice?
McLellan is one of those people that has an exclamation point hanging in the air after almost everything she says. She is anything but soft-spoken, is hesitant to talk about herself, but demands attention on the field. She is the perfect combination for a striker.
“I’m a little bit feisty,” the sophomore said. “I’m not a bully, but I’m a speed player. That’s what I do. I run.”
The native of Vernon, British Columbia, started 17 games as a freshman last year on a senior-laden team — a testament to her hustle. She scored three goals — two of them game-winners — and added an assist on 24 shots.
But any Oregon soccer fan knows McLellan’s oddest talent is her flip throw-in. The Julie-over-the-ball trick is much more than that, and can be a threat when the Ducks have the ball near their opponent’s goal.
“The flip throw is a crowd pleaser,” the sophomore said.
Oregon head coach Bill Steffen sees McLellan’s “feistiness” another way.
“Julie has a lot of athleticism, and she uses it in very creative ways,” said Steffen. “A lot of times, you don’t know what she’s going to do.
“She’s going to try different things. We don’t want robots out there. We want kids to try different things.”
McLellan could be the catalyst in this Friday’s Civil War matchup with Oregon State. With a goal in the 10th minute in Corvallis last year, the sophomore ensured the Ducks a fourth-straight victory in the rivalry game and a 3-3-1 finish to the season. It was McLellan’s first goal of her Oregon career.
Since that game, however, McLellan’s scores have been few and far between. She had two more goals in the 1999 campaign after Oregon State, and started off 2000 with a goal against San Jose State. But the well ran dry for McLellan after that, and she hasn’t scored in 14 games.

Nobody is more aware of her struggles than McLellan herself.
“I need to score more,” she said. “I basically haven’t done my job. I’ve played well on the field, but I’m a forward and I’m supposed to score.”
McLellan is one of a trio of players that has had to fill gaps in the Oregon offense in recent games, as forwards Crystal David and Beth Bowler have sat out because of injuries.
“We’re playing Chalise [Baysa] up front with us and Ann [Westermark] and I think that has helped a lot,” McLellan said. “We’re playing well together, the three of us.”
Forward has been a tough position to play for the Ducks this year. Most of the Ducks’ goals have come from the midfield and Baysa’s golden feet, and the two highest-scoring forwards — Bowler and David — have yet to play in a Pac-10 game because of their injuries.
“We have a lot to work on,” Bowler said. “We’re not getting the job done in the games.”
But Bowler has kind words to say about the Ducks’ British Columbian forward.
“Her speed is a really strong asset, along with her quickness to the ball,” Bowler said. “Nobody really expects it, so it’s kind of a secret weapon.”
The secret weapon is surprisingly insightful, despite her scoring drought and her youth.
She is optimistic about her team, but at the same time she sees the reality of its 4-11-0 record. She knows her role in the Oregon offense and happily accepts it, but is hard on herself for not expanding that role.
Oh, and she’s got a sense of humor, too. Ask her about the rest of the Ducks’ Pac-10 games, which include powerhouses Washington, Stanford and California. You, with your hand in the air.
“We’re going to win the rest of our games,” McLellan says. “They’re pushovers… just kidding!”
There are a lot of hands still raised. Is yours?