There is no question that the Oregon women’s soccer team came away from the 2009 season with a feeling of frustration and disappointment after dropping nine of their final 11 games to conclude the year.
And after beginning the year in nothing short of dominant fashion, it’s no surprise that the Ducks will be looking to rebound in the offseason and return for a much-improved 2010 campaign.
“This season definitely had its ups and downs,” fifth-year head coach Tara Erickson said.
Oregon began the year with a tough 3-0 loss to then-No. 4 Portland, but went on to win six straight matches over Colorado, Loyola Marymount, Seattle, Denver, Dartmouth and Portland State.
“We definitely had a really good start to the season,” senior Danielle Sweeney said. “Which is one of the reasons we still had a chance at the end of Pac-10’s to get in to the tournament.”
Sweeney went on to say that had the Ducks been able to pick up a conference win early on, they might have been able to build off that confidence but were unable to do so.
Sweeney and fellow seniors Dani Oster, Teresa Bowns, Adriana Montes and Jessie Proulx saw their Oregon careers come to an end without ever reaching their ultimate goal of qualifying for the NCAA tournament, but they undeniably left their mark on the Ducks program.
“It might not be shown in the record books,” Sweeney continued. “But I think our coaches and team know that we definitely helped set the measure for how Oregon soccer is done day in and day out.”
In all, Oregon will return 20 members from this year’s squad with seven juniors, two sophomores and 11 freshmen, while three-year standout Jen Stoltenberg will finally be approaching her senior season. Stoltenberg was chosen as an honorable-mention all-Pac-10 selection for the second year in a row, and will likely take on an even bigger leadership role over the course of the next year.
“I think in her mind she has taken on that role already,” Erickson said.
The Mission Viejo, Calif., native led the Ducks with 26 points on 10 goals and six assists, which included six game-winners. Her stat line this year matched up almost identically with the 2008 season after she scored 25 points on 10 goals and five assists.
However, Stoltenberg was not the only Oregon player to receive post-season accolades as freshman midfielder Scout Libke was named to the Pac-10 all-freshman team. Libke started all 20 games for the Ducks and tallied 10 points on three goals and four assists.
While the majority of the Oregon offense will return next year, the departure of Sweeney and Oster will leave a big hole to be filled defensively. Sophomore goalkeeper Cody Miles will likely return to action as the starter after being used as a reserve over the course of the final seven games behind Proulx.
“This season definitely turned out different than I expected,” Miles said. “But it was a growing year and a learning year. I was able to watch Jessie and learn things from her, which I wasn’t able to do as a freshman.”
Miles allowed 46 goals on the year with a 1.15 goals allowed against average en route to a 9-4-1 record overall. But as the stats showed this season, Oregon’s main area of focus heading into the offseason will be improving the group’s mental toughness. Throughout the year, especially in Pac-10 play, the Duck defense was notorious for giving up several goals in a span of only minutes, which will have to change in the future in order for the program to be successful.
“We have very good soccer players who with a little more time to mature will be awesome,” Sweeney said. “I think that with a little work on the mental side of being put in really tough situations, our team will have the complete package and really be able to be very successful in the next few years.”
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