With three minutes left in the second overtime period against Portland State (0-9-1 overall) on Friday, junior forward Tiffany Smith capitalized on a cross from freshman midfielder Rianna Mansfield and booted home the goal that resulted in Oregon’s
1-0 victory over the Vikings.
“When I saw the ball coming to me, I knew I had a player on my back, so I just turned and kicked the hell out of it,” Smith said. “It was sweet once that ball went in. It’s a rivalry game and all the players basically know each other and they gave us a pretty good battle.”
All three of Smith’s career goals have been game-winners.
Against the Vikings, Oregon (6-5 overall) fielded a full-strength squad for the first time since its Sept. 3 defeat at the hands of Loyola Marymount.
Mansfield, sophomore defensive midfielder Jen Cameron, and goalkeeper Jessie Chatfield all returned to action on Friday afternoon, and their additions to the lineup proved instrumental in the Ducks’ victory.
Mansfield provided the cross that resulted in Smith’s goal, while Chatfield played 106 minutes in goal and registered two saves.
But even the renewed strength of its starting lineup could not help Oregon against 7th-ranked Portland on Sunday afternoon.
The Ducks held the Pilots scoreless for almost 60 minutes until halfway into the second period when Portland forward Michelle Enyeart broke through Oregon’s
defense to score the opening goal off a cross from Pilot substitute Kendra Chandhoke. The Pilots’ Elsa Hume struck again in the 73rd minute, and Chandhoke put in a third goal six minutes later.
Portland, the defending NCAA champions, held on to win 3-0.
“I’m proud of the way we played, especially the first 60 minutes,” Oregon coach Tara Erickson said. “That was
the best job we’ve done all season of sticking to our game plan.”
To combat Portland’s potent offense, Erickson fielded a 4-5-1 formation instead of the Ducks’ normal 4-4-2.
“We took one forward off the field and added another midfielder in the back to boost the defense,” Erickson said. “It might have helped us if we’d had another forward up front, but we needed the defensive presence against their offense.”
Erickson credited Chandhoke, a freshman forward, for sparking Portland (9-2-1 overall) into action when she came off the bench in the 55th minute.
“Chandhoke has incredible speed and was crafty on the ball,” Erickson said. “She caught us out of position a couple of times, and forced us to realign to keep up with her speed. So she definitely made a difference.”
Oregon’s Mansfield also distinguished herself by neutralizing the Pilots’ star player, All-American midfielder Angie Woznuk.
Mansfield found herself guarding Woznuk after a frustrated Woznuk took out her original defender, Allison Newton, with an elbow to the mouth.
“Mansfield marked one of Portland’s most dangerous players really well. She had a fantastic weekend. To come back after being out for four or five weeks (with a sore hip flexor) and play like she did was outstanding,” Erickson said. “She’s going to be a really great player.”
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