University of Oregon
Arizona
Soccer Posts Record Ninth Win with 1-0 Decision at Arizona
11/02/03 | Women's Soccer
TUCSON - The University of Oregon women's soccer team claimed a record-breaking ninth win on the season Sunday at the University of Arizona with a 1-0 decision over the Wildcats.
The win raised Oregon's record to 9-9 overall and 3-4 in Pac-10, with the latter mark also tying a school record for most Pac-10 wins in a season (3). The Ducks scored the lone goal of the game early in the second half, when freshman forward Andrea Valadez connected from 5 yards left off a 6-yard run from the corner of the box. The play was set up by a 9-yard, lateral right-to-left pass from sophomore forward Nicole Garbin in the central, high part of the box, with the play begun a little behind Garbin by junior midfielder Erin Englehardt from the right side of the field. "There wasn't any time to think about it, I just hit it with an instant reaction," Valadez said. "Nicole had the ball and we were on a 2x2. The one Arizona girl moved forward but the other didn't, so she found the seam between. I touched it to the left, then played it to the right and quickly took it with my right like slapshot." Valadez's score was her third of the weekend after scoring both of the Ducks' goals Friday night in a 3-2 loss at Arizona State. Valdez's scores Sunday raised her season total to seven - second-best all-time among Duck freshmen and only two behind the record set by Erin Anderson in 1996. "It was a great weekend," Valadez said, "and the whole team felt excited and prepared coming in. We knew today would be an important win, so it was nice to be able to help get a win. My parents also made the trip, so it was nice to share it with them." Valadez led the Ducks Sunday in shots on goal (2) and shared the team lead in shots (3) with sophomore Mele French. Despite dealing with a wrist stress fracture for the third straight week, sophomore goalkeeper Domenique Lainez again posted an intelligent, aggressive outing and was rewarded with her third shutout of the season, and the second Pac-10 blanking of her career. The see-saw game possession-wise saw Oregon hold a edge in shots (12-9) and shots on goal (7-4), while Arizona ended the game with advantages in corner kicks (5-3), saves (6-4) and fouls (10-9). Arizona's Lauren Winters led in shots (3), and four UA players logged shots on goal. "We battled hard, and they battled right back, so I was proud of how we kept our intensity high," Oregon head coach Bill Steffen said. "We started off very well, then sagged a little at the end of the first half. In the second half, we came right back and gave a full half's worth of concentration. They put a lot of people up front into their offense, but to our credit defensively, we didn't let them get behind us much. Our depth and our maturity really carried us against a good team, and beforehand we stressed how important it was for each player to give us everything they had when they were on the field." Looking ahead, the Ducks return for their final weekend of action next Friday, Nov. 7 at 7 pm and Nov. 9 at 1 pm against the LA schools (USC and UCLA) - both consistent NCAA veterans and upper-half Pac-10 finishers. BOXSCORE Oregon 1, Arizona 0 at Wildcat Soccer Field, Tucson, Ariz. Scoring: UO - Andrea Valadez at 50:31 (Nicole Garbin, Erin Engelhardt). Shots: UO - 12 (Mele French, Valadez 3), UA - 9 (Lauren Winters 3). Shots on Goal: UO - 7 (Valadez 2), UA - 4 (four with 1). Saves: UA - 6 (Natalie Juarez 6), UO - 4 (Domenique Lainez 3). Corner Kicks: UA - 5, UO - 3. Fouls: UA - 10, UO - 9. A: 413. Conditions: mid-70s, partly cloudy, light breeze. -
