The Oregon women’s soccer team beat Washington for the first time in program history Friday night in Seattle. Senior Nicole Garbin led the Ducks with the game’s only goal that clinched both a 1-0 win for Oregon and the team’s second non-losing season in school history.
Those written into Oregon’s 2005 roster may have earned their place in the school record books, but Friday’s victory at rainy Husky Soccer Field did not come with ease. The win was still in doubt even after Garbin’s first-half goal in the 36th minute.
Washington’s defense held Oregon scoreless from then, but the Huskies could not put a shot past goalkeeper Jessie Chatfield of the Ducks. Chatfield’s nine saves helped seal her team’s first conference win since 2003.
The shut-out marked a school-record seventh of the season for the freshman goalkeeper, whose solid net-minding in the second half was crucial in handing the Huskies their eighth 1-0 loss this year (0-15-3 overall, 0-6 conference).
“Late in the second half, we were getting a little anxious because you could tell Washington was getting frantic and throwing everything they had at us,” first-year Oregon head coach Tara Erickson said. “But Jessie was as calm and steady as usual and made the big saves when she had to.”
The Eugene phenom ended the second half with four saves. Two of which came from consecutive shots which she deflected off the cross bar.
The preserved lead made Garbin’s goal the game-winner, bringing her school-record career total to 10. She now has 10 goals to her credit alone this season, also a school record. The standout forward has had a goal or assist in almost every Oregon win this year.
“Garbin played a tremendous game and Jessie (Chatfield) came up with some huge saves for us,” Erickson said. “This is as happy as this team has been after a win. It’s great to get any win, but getting the first one ever against the Huskies was sweet both for me and for these University of Oregon players who had never beaten Washington before.”
Erickson had been looking forward to Friday’s game against her almamater Washington. Erickson was a two-time all-Pacific-10 Conference midfielder for the Huskies in 1990s and is now the only Oregon head coach in program history to have a win over Washington. The Ducks were 0-8-1 in their previous nine meetings with their rivals from The Evergreen State.
The win improved Oregon to 9-6-1 on the season, moving them into ninth in the conference standings at 1-5. Erickson is pleased with how well her squad has improved since its season-opening win against Louisiana State.
“I’m glad that we’re finally playing more aggressively,” Erickson said. “When we get down we don’t stay down. We’ve battled back in games we were losing early which wasn’t the case for this team a year ago. We may not always play our best, but we never give up.”
The Ducks are now past the mid-point of conference play with only two games left in the regular season. Oregon is guaranteed a record of at least .500, but to help their cause toward becoming the first team in program history to reach the NCAAs, they will need to pull off an upset against the Bay Area schools of the Pac-10 this weekend. Oregon hosts
No. 9 Cal at 5 p.m. Friday and Stanford at 1 p.m. Sunday.

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