Oregon Soccer Shut Out By Arkansas 0-4

Oregon faced #10 Arkansas today in the opening match of a four-game road trip, taking on the Razorbacks in Fayetteville. The Ducks dropped their opener at home last week against Baylor, while Arkansas shut out Arkansas State in their opener, 6-0.

Last season Arkansas entered the NCAA tournament as a 3-seed, and reached the Elite Eight before being eliminated by 1-seed Florida State. They are the favorite to win the SEC this year.

This game was delayed by one hour to allow the temperature to drop from highs that were just shy of 100°, and started at 5:30 pm PT.

The Razorbacks scored early and often, and were a threat to score nearly every time they were in front of the Oregon goal. The first Arkansas point came two minutes into the game.

As can be seen on these video clips, Arkansas had superb ball control all game. Oregon’s ball control isn’t quite there yet, and as a result they have been playing mostly defense.

After another 15 minutes of play, Arkansas scored their second goal.

The third Razorback goal was a fluke that came at about the 20 minute mark.

The Ducks settled down somewhat and played better, but it wasn’t enough to stop Arkansas’ fourth goal at the 43:17 mark.

Oregon played a scoreless second half as the defense buckled down and hung tight.

Their best scoring opportunity came at the 66 minute mark of the game, and the Ducks could not quite get the ball in the goal.

Arkansas had 20 shots on the evening, with nine shots on the goal, and 10 corner kicks. Goalie Sierra Cota-Yarde only recorded one save and spent much of the game well outside the box.

Oregon shot six times, with one SOG, and five corner kicks. GK Maddie Goldberg was busy all game with five saves.

Oregon’s shots on the goal in the first half came from Livvy Moore, Caitlyn McCulloch, and Ella Osmussen. In the second half, Cameron Bourne and Myra Schneider had the shots on goal.

Arkansas is every bit a reflection of their top-10 ranking. Their ball control and passing was stellar, and this young Oregon team is struggling to be competitive early in the season. The Ducks played the 11th-hardest schedule last season, and this season will be just about as difficult.

The Ducks continue to find their wings on this road trip and next play Missouri State on Sunday, 8/27/23, at 11:00 am. The match against the Bears can be seen on ESPN+.