If you made it out to Pape Field recently to watch the Oregon women’s soccer team practice, you would not be able to tell it has the two biggest games of the season thus far next on its schedule.
All week, head coach Tara Erickson has maintained a focused but loose tempo for her team, which opens Pacific-10 Conference play on the road in Arizona against the No. 23 Wildcats today. Oregon plays at Arizona State Sunday.
“Practice has been a little light-hearted but in a good way,” Erickson said. “We’re not trying to overemphasize how we play, thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, this is the Pac-10 opener, we need to do everything perfectly because now things count.’ There is only so much you can do in two practices and we’re trying to do things right and have some quality minutes this weekend,” she added.
Oregon is off to the best start in program history, but there is room for skepticism surrounding the success. Their opponents have notched victories over teams with wins and/or ties against top 25 teams, but they have yet to do the same. This weekend is the biggest opportunity for the Ducks to legitimize the progress made since last year’s three-win season. Also, they can take position in the conference standings. Erickson likes her team’s chances against the Arizona schools and understands the magnitude of this weekend.
“I’d like for us to go in and win, that’s what we’d like to do obviously. I think we can beat, and much less play even, with both teams,” Erickson said. “This will be the indication of how well we can compete with other Pac-10 teams, and it’s a good opener for us to have, even though it is on the road – it’ll be a good measuring stick for us.”
Unlike the Ducks, the defending Pac-10 champion Arizona Wildcats (5-3-2) limped through their non-conference schedule that featured four top 25 teams. All of which accounted for either a tie or a loss – the last having come one week ago at the hands of No. 18 Brigham Young. Despite Arizona’s rough start, they are still one of the best teams in the conference under last year’s Pac-10 Coach of the Year Dan Tobias.
Leading the Wildcats in the field is senior forward Mallory Miller, who already has a team-high 10 goals this season. Miller has played her best in home games at Arizona’s Murphey
Stadium, where she has posted eight of the Wildcats’ nine goals. She has helped the team draw tremendous support from their fans (Arizona boasts an average of 747 fans per game).
Like their rivals from Tucson, Ariz., the Sun Devils (5-4-2) have been up and down in non-conference play, with much of their success coming at home. Senior forward Elizabeth Bogus is two assists away from ranking second in all offensive categories. Starting alongside Bogus in Arizona State’s 11 games has been a trio of freshman defenders. Fifth-year head coach Ray Leone of the Sun Devils has followed suit with Erickson, opting to call upon his younger players to make contributions this season. Leone’s freshmen Kylla Sjoman, Emily Coehlo and Brooke Simons earned starting spots in the off-season. As of late, fellow rookies Alex Dunsdon and Christine Nieva have done the same.
Oregon is riding a seven-game unbeaten streak thanks to contributions made from the entire roster. They have marked a page in Oregon’s record book for the best non-conference record in school history and can attribute their breakthrough start to the stellar play of defense. Freshman goalkeeper Jessie Chatfield and senior defender Katie Abrahamson have led the backfield, andallowed an average .88 goals per game. Chatfield said the Ducks can have a prosperous weekend if they maintain their consistency.
Oregon’s offense has scored enough goals to win games, but needs to do more to keep pace with its Pac-10 opponents. It hasn’t scored more than two goals in a game; its wins and losses hinge on the play of the defense. Seniors Nicole Garbin and Cristan Higa are the backbone of the offense, but are receiving more and more help from their teammates in putting the Ducks on the scoreboard.
Oregon kicks off against Arizona tonight before going to Tempe, Ariz., on Sunday to face Arizona State. They return home next weekend to battle No. 4 UCLA and No. 27 USC.
