For the 80th time in her career, Chardonnay Curran was one of the 11 players who went out onto the field for the first half kickoff. Earlier this season she broke the record for the most games played as an Oregon soccer player. Now, she has tied the school record for most starts in a career.
The midfielder from Ewa Beach, Hawaii has spent all five years of her collegiate career playing for the Ducks. Curran has helped the Ducks improve in each of the last three years of her career. On Thursday, she helped Oregon earn a hard-fought 1-1 draw at Prentup Field against Colorado.
In the 14th minute, Oregon struggled to clear the ball of a corner kick. It pinged around the Oregon defense before it bounced directly into the path of Kayleigh Webb. Webb struck it cleanly off the volley and it rocketed into the back of the net with so much power that Oregon goalkeeper Leah Freeman didn’t even have a chance to make a stop.
Ally Cook continues to be the star striker for the Ducks. In the 31st minute, Cook scored off a perfect header which involved redirecting a cross from Eugene native Jordan Wormdahl. Cook now has scored seven goals this season, which is the most goals by an Oregon player this season. Cook was incredibly close to finding the game winner but it hit the crossbar and then went wide.
Fatigue played a factor in the game, with an elevation difference of around 5,000 feet between Eugene and Boulder. At times, Oregon looked winded. While the team seemed more tired in the second half, they pushed through and avoided a loss.
Once again this season, the Ducks struggled to find a second goal. The Ducks have not scored two goals in 90 minutes since September 30 against Cal. In regulation, the two teams were unable to find the game winner, leading to the fifth overtime game of the season for Oregon.
The Ducks shift to 8-2-5 on the season, while the Buffaloes move to 6-6-3. Oregon now travels to Salt Lake, where the Ducks hope to find their winning form again and Curran will look to break the record for most career starts.