University of Oregon
USC
Ducks Lose to USC, 3-1, in Tightly-Contested Battle
11/07/03 | Women's Soccer
EUGENE - The University of Oregon women's soccer team continued to validate its run after its first postseason berth Friday, with a hard-fought 3-1 loss to USC Friday at Pape' Field.
The Ducks dug themselves a hole in the opening minute, when on USC's first possession, they took advantage of the cool, slick conditions and pushed the ball straight ahead from just inside the midfield line past a fallen UO defender to create a one-on-one chance by Trojan forward Tina Sutorius from 20 yards center. The initial shot was blocked straight out by Duck keeper Domenique Lainez who dove 10 yards center in front of the goal. However, fellow Trojan striker Kelly Blais quickly retrieved the ball, moved slightly right back towards center, and lined a 17-yard shot right top shelf for an early 1-0 lead.
For the remainder of the first half, Oregon quickly regained their composure and showcased their best half of homefield ball control. The Ducks had an excellent opportunity in the final first-half minute by sophomore midfielder Cristan Higa from 7 yards center left, that sailed high over the goal with only the keeper left in defense.
In the second half, the Ducks got on the board for the fifth time this season via penalty kick when senior defender Lindsey Werdell converted on her third of four tries in 2003 at 58:28. The play was set up by a long Duck forward pass that sailed into the heart of tightly-bunched group of Ducks and Trojans just inside the center goal box edge, and was handballed by a Trojan defender. "I kind of guessed the way the keeper was going, and I just put it the other way," Werdell said.
With a new sense of optimism, the Ducks continued to push forward the next 20 minutes with several potential breakaways negated by offsides calls on UO strikers. USC took advantage of the Ducks' stretched offense in the 76th minute when Shannon Cross punched in a 10-yard center volley to the right corner. The opportunity was created on a 15-yard midfield aerial pass from Ashley Cassas who had made a 15-yard central upfield run from near the midfield line.
USC added an insurance goal in the final two minutes when Tina Sutorius converted on a 23-yard floater over a charge by Duck keeper Lainez after the defense had pushed forward and left her exposed. An assist was awarded to USC's Shannon Cross on the play.
"I keep forgetting how young we are, and a lot of our mistakes are only because of inexperience," Oregon head coach Bill Steffen said. "USC plays a very direct style, and they capitalized on an early mistake. I can't question our effort or our intensity tonight. However, if you're going to make the postseason it's about converting chances and outcomes, and we didn't make good on either of those tonight. We've raised our level of expectations, and now we need to keep raising our play to match those expectations."
USC ended with advantages in shots (12-7) and shots on goal (8-2), and Oregon held edges in saves (5-1), fouls (15-14) and corner kicks (9-3).
The loss kept USC (8-7-4, 4-3-1) in the hunt for its sixth straight NCAA trip, while the Ducks' chances were virtually eliminated.
Looking ahead, Oregon (8-9-2, 3-5-0) still has a chance to push its record back to .500 and set an all-time best for Pac-10 wins with one game remaining Sunday against No. 2 UCLA.
"Both teams came into the game in the same position with their records, and you could see it in the intensity," Werdell said. "Despite the final score, I thought we outplayed them possession-wise. The season isn't over yet, and we have nothing to lose Sunday. We're going to come out and play really hard and pursue them and force them to win."
BOXSCORE: USC 3, Oregon 1, at Pape' Field, Eugene Ore., Nov. 7, 2003. Scoring - USC - Kelly Blais (-), at 8:36. UO - Lindsey Werdell (penalty) at 58:20. USC - Shannon Cross (Ashley Casas) at 76:06. USC - Tina Sutorius (Shannon Cross) at 88:26. Shots: USC - 12 (Tina Sutorius), UO - 7 (Mele French 3). Shots on Goal: USC - 8 (Sutorius 3), UO - 2 (Werdell, French 1). Saves: UO - 5 (Domenique Lainez 5), USC - 1 (Julie Peterson 1). Fouls: UO - 15, USC - 14. Corner Kicks: UO - 9 , USC 3. A: 239. Conditions: 49 degrees, rainy, no wind.
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