With the wind whipping hard enough to flip over the goal twice, the Oregon Club Sports men’s soccer team dominated Saturday, beating Western Oregon, 4-1.
“We have been playing really well all year,” coach and team captain Ross Minkler said. “Our talent this year is a lot better.”
After finishing off Western, the team had yet another challenge Sunday, competing against Mount Hood Community College.
The Ducks, eager to capture another win, began the game in a huddle with Minkler yelling, “Lets go 5-0!”
After just seven minutes, Oregon had scored their first goal, while Mt. Hood had yet to take a shot. The Ducks took a commanding 4-0 lead and finished them off in the second half, scoring four goals in the final 10 minutes for the 13-0 blowout win.
The team is currently undefeated at 5-0, and plans to keep the momentum going heading into the National Tournament in Austin, Texas, from Nov. 15-18, according to sophomore forward Matt Tassos.
Compared to last season, the team is much larger, as the Ducks lost few players. Minkler mentioned how these extra players will help make sure that fatigue shouldn’t play a role in nationals, as it has in the years prior.
With only a few games left, and Nationals approaching, the only team left that can match Oregon’s level of play is Oregon State, according to Minkler. The soccer Civil War takes place Nov. 5, at Oregon State.
“These are just preparatory games for us until Nationals,” said Tassos. “Last year, we went to the quarterfinals and this year we want to win it all.”

Rugby drops tough game
The Oregon Club Sports men’s rugby team went head-to-head and body-to-body — literally — Saturday morning with Sacramento State. The Ducks were defeated by last year’s Division II National Champions, 31-5.
“Nobody on our team came to play today,” head coach Bob Snyder said.
Sacramento had the lead of 25-5 in the second half, and although Oregon’s defense tightened up, it wasn’t enough for the win.
For the Ducks, they don’t have a kicker and the team is rather young as of now, so there is still learning and growth to come.
“It’s a good learning experience for the younger guys to play the better teams,” coordinator/player Will Middleton said.
Also Saturday, the junior varsity Oregon men’s rugby team competed against Sacramento State’s junior varsity team. Sacramento State edged out the 18-15 victory.
“They were prepared to take the field, and overall played a good game,” said Snyder.
Snyder was also satisfied with the results considering only one member of the junior varsity team had ever competed before.
The Ducks will compete against conference rival Washington Saturday in Seattle.
“We will win this game,” Middleton said. “We got a lot of things to work on, but I think we can do it.”
The men have just three games left this fall before spring play begins, and according to Snyder, the one team to worry about is Oregon State.
The four teams that make up the league are Oregon, Oregon State, Central Washington and Washington. Each team plays each other twice and the team with the best record is crowned the Northwest champion.
“I am sure we will contend for the championship in the Northwest,” Snyder said.