The Oregon women’s soccer team had an opportunity to make the NCAA tournament entering its final two conference games. But needing at least a tie and a win against Cal and Stanford, that chance was marginal at best.
The Ducks’ chances were cut down on Friday evening against Cal in a 2-0 loss, after which the team spiraled on Sunday and fell to Stanford 3-0. It was evident from the opening kickoff on Friday that Cal, also on the postseason bubble, was not going to roll over.
“Cal pulled together and played one of their best games,” Oregon head coach Tara Erickson said.
Even without national team standout Alex Morgan, Cal snapped Oregon’s three-match win streak. Freshman midfielder Kaitlyn Fitzpatrick and sophomore midfielder Lauren Battung each scored a goal in the Bears’ win.
Oregon sophomore Scout Libke fired four shots, three on target in the loss. Senior Mercedes Walters also recorded three shots, and junior transfer keeper Lindsay Parlee recorded five saves during the 90-minute contest.
In Sunday’s game, the Ducks fell 3-0 to the nation’s best. No. 1 Stanford (18-0-2) completed its perfect Pac-10 season and outscored opponents 25-2 over those nine matches. The Cardinal notched 17 shots to Oregon’s six, and three different Stanford players found the net. Erickson believed the Stanford match was impacted by the loss to Cal.
“The Sunday game almost became an afterthought when we didn’t beat Cal,” Erickson said. “I think it was a disappointing trip because we went into it results-oriented.”
The trip marked Oregon’s first weekend of the conference schedule in which they were shut out. It also marked a stark contrast to the team’s tandem shutout wins over the Arizona schools the week before. The contrast begs the question, where does the team go from here?
Oregon finished its season at 7-10-3, two wins less than the squad’s total from 2009, when it finished 9-10-1. However, the Ducks believe reading between the lines is key when comparing the two seasons. At the end of October, it was clear the 2010 campaign was an improvement.
“It’s frustrating to look at our record because we’re such a good team,” senior forward Jen Stoltenberg said.
Several players emerged as top-level performers, including Stoltenberg. The senior finished her career with 33 goals and 17 assists, good for a tie with Nicole Garbin as the all-time Ducks’ record holder for points. Stoltenberg already holds the record for career assists at Oregon. She was on the cusp of breaking Garbin’s record for the last three matches of her career.
Erickson found her way into the record book as well after a 2-1 win against San Diego State. In her sixth season, Erickson is now the winningest coach in Ducks history. Nevertheless, that doesn’t change her view of the season as a whole.
“Since I’ve been here, I think it was the best soccer team we’ve put on the field,” Erickson said. “But at the end of the season, you need to measure yourself in wins and losses, so I’m disappointed.”
Among the heartbreakers, Oregon lost two matches in which they were tied late against then-No. 10 Santa Clara and No. 4 Portland. Both those contests were on the road, but even at Pape Field, the Ducks couldn’t manage to win many close matches. Oregon State nipped the Ducks 3-2 on a goal in the 86th minute, and USC mustered a draw with Oregon on a late, disputable penalty kick. Sophomore Lauren Thompson summed up how the Ducks felt after these setbacks.
“It’s tricky to look at our record because we’re really good,” Thompson said early in the Pac-10 season. “But we know we can get big wins down the stretch.”
The Ducks found those wins against the Washington and Arizona schools late in the schedule, but by that point, postseason aspirations were an insurmountable uphill battle. Erickson clarified that going into Berkeley and Palo Alto, Calif., in need of a win was not what the team had in mind.
“Our goal was the postseason and so it could have been better.” Erickson said, “I do give credit to the team we put out on the field, and I think players like Mercedes Walters, Lindsay Parlee, and Mo Fitzgerald among others really showed what they were capable down the stretch.”
Parlee and Fitzgerald are both transfers with eligibility remaining. Looking forward, Libke will be the leading goal scorer who returns next fall. Freshman Brynne Konkel equaled Libke with two goals and a pair of assists as well.
Oregon’s record was its worst showing since going 3-13-3 in 2004. The team will lose several top-level players, including Stoltenberg, Walters and Eugene native Rianna Mansfield, but the new crop appears promising. Though Erickson knows wins and losses tell the story, she acknowledged great progress from her team in 2010.
“It was a very small roster, and we still got some wins in tough conditions,” Erickson said. “We’re going to review with the players and the staff the positives and strengths and really focus on areas where we need to grow this spring.”
[email protected]