Oregon Soccer: Ducks Drop Final Game in Winless Season

Gloomy Day on the Field

The rainy conditions Friday night at Paul Lorenz Field were a fitting backdrop end of the Oregon Soccer team’s season. The Ducks dropped their final game of the season 2-0 to the Oregon State Beavers to close out the year 0-16-3, 0-10-1.

The Beavers were on the board in the 11^th minute having played much of the game on the offensive. Oregon State would rattle off 17 shots in the first half alone while Oregon would not even get its first shot on the tally sheet until the 20^th minute, with only 1 more in the first half.

The Duck defense rallied around the goal, blocking 7 shots and earning a team save in the 17^th minute when Anna Emperador swooped in to clear a shot off the goal line.

Oregon’s offense created more opportunities in the second half with shots on goal by Ajanae Respass, Ryann Reynolds and Cameron Bourne. The Ducks would finish the game with only 8 shots (3 on goal) to the Beavers 31 (5 on goal).

The Beaver’s second point came in the 59^th minute. Oregon’s last chance to get on the board, a breakaway by Grace Mensah in the 83^rd minute, was foiled when OSU’s goalie Hailey Coll challenged the run and forced the ball out of bounds.

Final Thoughts

The challenging season for the Ducks is highlighted by the end of year stats. Oregon attempted just 152 shots with 62 of those being shots on goal. Opponents launched 443 shots, 169 on goal. The Ducks mustered only 9 goals on the year while giving up 48. That averages out to .47 per game scored and 2.53 allowed. A bright spot defensively: they finished the year with 115 total saves.

While certainly a disappointing end to the 2023 season, Oregon came into the game having played the second-most difficult schedule in the nation, with one of the youngest teams. Five or more freshman started in 14 of the 19 games this season with Cameron Bourne, Kristen Conte and Mia McSweeny starting them all.

Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Maddy Goldberg added 2 saves to her career total, her 99 saves move her to 9^th on the Oregon career saves list.

Enjoy the offseason Ducks.