Duck Soccer: Women Fall to Huskies, Tie Cougars

Huskies Win on Late Goal

Oregon displayed resilience against Washington for 87 minutes, but the Ducks suffered a devastating 1-0 defeat on Thursday at Papé Field when the Huskies scored a late goal.

Following the Huskies’ late goal, Ajanae Respass came tantalizingly close to leveling the score with a breakaway opportunity in the final seconds. However, Washington’s goalkeeper, Olivia Juarez, made a crucial last-ditch save to deny Respass’s powerful shot.

Throughout the match, both teams had their fair share of scoring opportunities as possession constantly shifted between them.

Livvy Moore, who was highly active all over the field, had a shot in each half for the Ducks.

As the match remained goalless into the 70th minute, the Ducks pushed forward aggressively in an attempt to find the back of the net. In the final 20 minutes of the game, they fired off six of their 10 shots, including attempts on goal by Respass and Trinity Morales.

In the game following her record-tying performance for saves, goalkeeper Maddie Goldberg made four crucial stops against the Huskies. She asserted control over the airspace in front of the net when Washington (8-5-4, 3-4-2) delivered crosses from the sides.

During the play where the Huskies scored, Goldberg initially made a save on a line drive in the 88th minute. However, the rebound fell directly to Tatum Thomason, who capitalized on the opportunity to put the Huskies in the lead.

Ducks Battle Cougars to the Bitter End

It was Senior Night at Papé Field as the Ducks honored their lone senior, Jordan Snyder, in a pregame ceremony, reminding many fans just how young the roster is this season. After falling behind 2-1 at halftime, Oregon rallied with the only goal of the second half to tie Washington State 2-2.

In the early moments of the match, freshman Ryann Reynolds put the Ducks ahead with a goal, granting Oregon a 1-0 lead just four minutes in. However, the Cougars responded with the next two goals.

It was Ajanae Respass who drew the Ducks level shortly after halftime, with both of Oregon’s goals stemming from corner kicks delivered by Alice Barbieri, who achieved her first two-assist game of her career.

Maddy Goldberg was instrumental in preserving the tie, making all five of her saves after Respass’ goal to thwart WSU’s attempts to regain the lead. Those 5 saves would move her into a tie for 9^th place in career saves at Oregon.

In the opening minutes of the game, Oregon capitalized on a well-executed set piece. Barbieri initiated the play with a corner kick from the left, but instead of delivering a traditional cross in front of the goal, she sent a precise pass to Trinity Morales, who was unopposed on the left side of the penalty box. Morales then sent a cross to the far post, and Reynolds soared in with a header to find the left side of the net.

The Cougars (9-5-4, 2-4-4) responded with goals in the 22nd and 38th minutes, taking a 2-1 lead into halftime.

Oregon managed to level the match less than five minutes into the second half, thanks to another corner kick. Barbieri lofted a high corner kick to the top of the box, where Kristen Conti headed the ball down through two WSU defenders. Respass seized the opportunity, poking the ball past the Cougars’ goalkeeper from 11 yards out.

Following this, Goldberg and Oregon’s defense successfully fended off the Cougars. In addition to Goldberg’s five saves in the final 40 minutes, the Ducks also blocked six shots.

Last Game of the Year

Oregon (0-15-3, 0-9-1) came into Sunday’s game having played the second-most difficult schedule in the country and has one last chance to prevent a winless season. The Ducks travel to Corvalis to end the 2023 season in a rivalry game with the Beavers Friday at 7 pm.