The second part of the season for the Oregon women’s soccer team gets under way today as the Ducks take on the Trojans at McAlister Field in Los Angeles.
The 3 p.m. match is the Pacific-10 Conference opener for both teams.
The Ducks are coming off back-to-back victories for the first time this season, with wins over Wyoming (3-1) and Gonzaga (1-0, OT) last weekend at Papé Field. The last time the Ducks won three in a row was when they went 5-0 to open the 2003 season.
The two home victories gave the Ducks a much-needed lift after coming off a month-long road trip where they went 0-5 and managed only two goals.
“We knew we needed to get some wins,” senior defender Katie Abrahamson said. “It was a confidence builder going into the Pac-10s. So it was good for us.”
Critical to the Ducks’ Pac-10 success will be the continued maturation and consistency of the offense.
“I think our patience is getting a little better,” Oregon head coach Bill Steffen said. “But again, it’s been clearer and clearer that when we’re playing with a lot of energy and enthusiasm, we are a very different club.”
Oregon (3-6-1 overall, 0-0 Pac-10) vs. USC (6-3-1
overall, 0-0 Pac-10)
The Ducks are in search of their first victory ever against USC, and their first road victory of the year. Oregon is 0-8 in the all-time series against the Trojans, including last year’s 3-1 defeat at Papé Field.
Oregon will look to slow down the reigning Pac-10 Freshman of the Year, USC’s Rosa Anna Tantillo. The sophomore from San Diego leads the team in goals (8) and points (19). She has already eclipsed her freshman totals in both categories (7 goals, 16 points).
“They are a good team,” Steffen said. “They have some very exciting players, and we just have to be up to the task. If we show up ready to play, we’ll be fine. But if we don’t have a very high energy level, it’s going to be a long afternoon.”
Oregon’s defense will be busy with Tantillo, but the return of senior defender Christine Mintz will greatly bolster the Duck back four.
“I think we just need to come and play with the focus and energy that we know we can (play with), rather than play for a half and then go to sleep,” Mintz said.
Tantillo will most likely hold Mintz’s attention the entire match, so the onus will be on some of the other Ducks — senior Kelly Baird, freshman Dylann Tharp and junior Katie Abrahamson, for example — to keep a productive USC front line at bay.
Tharp, whose aggressive and athletic play has translated into nine starts and 614 minutes, is ranked third among the Oregon freshmen in minutes played.
Oregon (3-6-1, 0-0)
vs. UCLA (7-3, 0-0)
Eighth-ranked UCLA brings in a solid 4-1 record against teams ranked in the NSCAA/adidas Top-25. The Bruins’ only loss came against No. 9 Virginia. Since that loss, UCLA has
defeated No. 21 SMU, No. 15 Texas A&M, No. 24 Pepperdine and No.15 Santa Clara.
“They aren’t entirely dissimilar,” Steffen said. “UCLA probably isn’t as direct as USC, so there are going to be some differences, but the differences aren’t going to be that great to us.”
The leading scorers for the Bruins include sophomore forward Bristyn Davis (5G, 4A, 38 shots, 21 SOG), freshman forward Danesha Adams (6G, 1A, 32 shots, 21 SOG), and senior forward Kim Devine (4G, 1A, 18 shots, 11 SOG).
“Both games are going to depend a lot on how we bring it,” Steffen said. “If we play 90 minutes, we’ll be OK.”

[email protected]