Seven returning starters and 10 newcomers are on first-year head coach Tara Erickson’s roster this year for Oregon women’s soccer, and the team is looking to have its first winning season in school history.
The Ducks finished last year with a 3-13-3 record, and drew no sympathy from the Pacific-10 Conference coaches, whose preseason poll slated Oregon to finish 10th.
The Ducks are at a significant advantage going into their 10th season of varsity play, as speedy forward Nicole Garbin returns to the lineup after sitting out last season with a knee injury. Erickson believes that Garbin, a senior from Wailuku, Hawaii, will offer an immediate improvement over last year’s team, which lacked fast legs in the front line.
“We’re all about speed right now,” Erickson said. “We would like to focus more on attacking in the near future, but right now we need to get quicker. Nicole is already there with her feet.”
With last year’s leading goal-scorer Kami Kapaku declared academically ineligible to play this season, Erickson has called upon Madison Cheek, a transfer from Memphis, and Portland State transfer Tiffany Smith to join Garbin at forward. Freshmen Sarah Yoro and Leigh Quinlan will also be playing in Oregon’s front line.
Garbin’s experience as a seasoned veteran should serve well for mentoring the freshman forwards. Amazingly enough, Oregon is 17-18-2 when Garbin is in the field and 5-28-5 without her. She believes that the team has molded well over the summer.
“We’ve come together this summer and have made improvements,” Garbin said. “I’m happy with where we are, but we want to take another step this season and win more games.”
Garbin is one of seven seniors returning for Oregon this season. Fellow senior Andrea Valadez re-unites with Garbin this year as the duo aims to continue the success it had playing together in 2003, when the players recorded a combined 14 goals and 13 assists. Valadez, a native of Torrance, Calif., sees great potential in this year’s squad.
“We are definitely going to be better than we were last year,” Valadez said. “There’s no doubt in my mind that we can go as far as the NCAAs.”
Joining Valadez in Oregon’s underclassmen-heavy midfield is a cadre of newcomers to be led by a small number of veterans. Those veterans are seniors Cristan Higa and Caitlin Gamble, who Erickson will depend on to be the backbone of Oregon’s defense this year. Junior Kaily Winther will compete for playing time as a midfielder.
A lack of experience will not be a problem for Oregon’s defense this year. Expect improvements to be made for the defense under Erickson, who kept defensive play as one of the team’s focal points during summer. Sabrina DeMonte, Katie Abrahamson, Valerie Mayer and Dylann Tharp are veteran defenders in Oregon’s back line and are joined by sophomore Lisa Tedford and junior Rachel Grushkin.
Starting between the pipes this season for the Ducks is senior Domenique Lainez, who is one of the most experienced goalkeepers in the Pac-10. The San Bruno, Calif., native made 88 saves last season.
Oregon could be poised to climb out of the conference cellar this year, and make a possible run toward the school’s first winning season in women’s soccer. The Pac-10 is loaded with talented programs, but Erickson assures that her squad is not one to overlook.
“Obviously we want to win games this year, and there’s nowhere for us to go but forward after last season,” Erickson said. “In the game of soccer, anything can happen, and I feel that we can play close with any team on any field. We believe in ourselves, and are determined not to accept losing.”
Erickson created a virtual overnight Big Sky Conference champion out of Portland State last season, and hopes to do the same for Oregon. She has a talented incoming group of recruits, and with the aid of new assistant coaches Mike Smith and Nicole Wilcox, who both boast impressive resumes, a winning season could be just around the corner.
