University of Oregon
Washington State
Chatfield Stops Nine Shots in 1-1 Tie at Washington State
10/26/07 | Women's Soccer
PULLMAN, Wash. ? For the fourth consecutive season, Oregon and Washington State played an overtime game.
And for the second straight season, the two Northwest rivals played to a tie, this time 1-1 Friday afternoon on the Cougars' campus.
"We battled our hearts out," said coach Tara Erickson. "I think the players are disappointed they didn't win, but WSU is a good team and tying on the road is not bad."
Oregon's Jessie Chatfield made a season-high nine saves and got a little help from midfielder Dani Oster to preserve the tie.
"The defense played really well," said Erickson, whose team moved to 8-6-2 overall and 1-2-2 in the Pac-10. "Jessie had a good game. She had to fight off a lot of crosses in traffic and she stuffed a girl on a breakaway in overtime."
The Ducks, who were playing without starting defensive center midfielder Jen Cameron, scored on a frenetic sequence in the 20th minute.
Oster collected a ball that ping-ponged to her inside WSU's penalty box and fired a shot that was saved by the Cougars' Brynn Bemis. The deflection went to forward Tiffany Smith, who attempted a close-range shot that sent Bemis sprawling on the ground for a save. That rebound bounced back to Smith, who finally put the ball in the back of the open net.
The goal was the fifth of the season for Smith, a senior from Eugene, Ore., and the ninth of her career.
"Tiffany played very well," said Erickson. "She scored because of her second effort on the play. She fought a lot for first and second balls today."
The goal also snapped the Ducks' string of 289 scoreless minutes against WSU. Before Friday, Oregon's last goal versus the Cougars came in a 1-1 double-overtime tie on Oct. 22, 2004.
Less than a minute after Smith struck, Oster kept the Ducks ahead when she cleared Carly Dobratz' attempt off the goal line.
For the game, WSU (9-2-3, 2-1-1) forced nine corner kicks to Oregon's one and got the equalizer on a late corner.
In the 85th minute, Brooke Bemis, the sister of the goalkeeper, tied the game at 1-1 when she scored off a Mallory Fox corner kick.
In the overtime, the Cougars outshot the Ducks 8-1, but neither team could end it.
"Our defense did a good job of battling after we let that goal in," said Erickson. "I was worried that we were going to have a let down, but we kept playing hard.
"(The Cougars) are dangerous on their corners," she said. "They have four big targets they look for and it was tough to counter that, especially without Cameron."
Cameron, a junior from Tigard, Ore., missed Friday's game due to a head-to-head collision with teammate Nicole Dobrzynski in last Sunday's match against Arizona that left her with injuries to her nose, mouth and teeth.
Dobrzynski, who suffered a mild concussion in the collision, was cleared to play Friday and started.
Cameron has been fitted for a special protective mask and may be available for Sunday's game at Washington. That match will start at noon in Seattle.
GAME NOTES: The Ducks are now unbeaten in their last seven overtime games (3-0-4) dating back to last season...Smith's ninth career goal tied her for seventh on the UO career list with three other players...Oregon used an unusual defense to counter Washington State's irregular offense...the Ducks played three -- Darcie Gardner, Dylann Tharp and Allison Newton -- across the back line with Barbara Blocker and Dobrzynski both at holding midfield...it was Newton's first game at defender this season, a position she started at as a freshman...Jessica Goodell replaced Cameron in the starting lineup.
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