Oregon soccer opened up the season with a pair of wins that were more or less at home, with the opener played in Hillsboro and the following game played at Papé Field.
Ducks vs. Portland State
This game was slow to put points on the board; however, Oregon was clearly in control, as midway through the game the Ducks had four times the number of shots, and PSU’s three shots did not involve a shot on the goal.
In a 10-minute spurt in the second half, Oregon fired off three goals, the first two coming off the foot
of Carly Cormack.
In the 64th minute, Shiloh Baird lobbed a beautiful kick over the head of the PSU goalkeeper, into the corner of the net.
That would take us to the final score, as Portland State had no answers for Oregon’s defense, and had trouble getting shots off all game. Oregon’s goalkeepers had a dull game (don’t get used to it, ladies) and recorded zero saves.
Ducks va. Gonzaga
Oregon played their first true home game on Sunday, defeating a much better opponent in the Gonzaga Bulldogs.
I mean, Oregon goalkeeper Gray Willson actually had to step in and make some saves.
The Ducks scored one point in the first half with an unassisted free kick by Lauren Hunter.
Both teams got off seven shots in the second period, but Oregon had two of theirs fall into the net. The first goal of the second period came from Shiloh Baird, with the second goal of her Oregon career.
The second goal of the period came from determined effort by Abella Hunter to follow through with the ball and get it in the net.
Gonzaga got off five more shots off after Oregon’s third goal, but they were rebuffed. Oregon’s defense did not allow a single shot in the final 20 minutes of play.
Coach Joyner had these thoughts on the weekend:
And Shiloh Baird had this to say after the game:
Oregon hits the road and travels to the Bay Area this weekend. They will play Santa Clara and San Francisco. These teams are on the level of Oregon’s openers, and I expect the Ducks to come away from this weekend with a 4-0 record.
The Oregon Ducks face Santa Clara tonight at 7:30 pm PT, and San Francisco on Sunday at 12:00 pm PT. Both games can be seen on ESPN+.
