Ducks Remain Undefeated After 3-0 Domination Over Stephen F. Austin

Sunday, August 28

Eugene, Ore.

5:00 PM

University of Oregon

3-0-1

Stephen F. Austin

0-2-0

SFA

Oregon

Ducks Remain Undefeated After 3-0 Domination Over Stephen F. Austin

08/28/16 | Women's Soccer

Box Score

By: Erin Kunesh

EUGENE, Ore. - The Oregon Ducks soccer team continued their undefeated streak after a 3-0 result over Stephen F. Austin on Sunday afternoon at Papé Field.

The Ducks are now 3-0-1 on the season.

This is Oregon's best start since going 4-0-1 in the beginning of the 2011 season.

How it Happened: The Ducks momentum began early, as redshirt senior Maryn Beutler scored Oregon's game-winning goal. It was her first goal of the season.

Ten minutes later, junior Mia Costa notched her first goal of 2016 as well, off assists from freshman Jayne Lydiatt and redshirt junior Caitlyn Wong (season firsts for both).

At half, the Ducks led the Ladyjacks 2-0 with no signs of slowing down coming out for the second half.

In the 53rd minute, junior Miranda Schulz scored the Ducks' final goal of the match off service from freshman Artrea Williams. It was the first goal and assist stats for both, respectively.

Oregon controlled possession for the majority of the game and on the night, the Ducks tallied 12 shots (seven on goal) to the Ladyjacks' three shots (all on goal). The Ducks earned five corner kick opportunities, while SFA racked up two.

Juniors Abby Morrow and Miranda Schulz and freshman Jessica Yu provided two shots for Oregon, while sophomores Marissa Everett and Nicole Seaman, senior Marlo Sweatman, Beutler, Lydiatt and Costa all added one.

Freshman Katelyn Carter notched two saves on the night, while junior Halla Hinriksdottir nabbed one. Hinriksdottir's record is now 1-0-0, while Carter is 2-0-1 in goal.

What it Means: The Ducks' home opening weekend can be described as dominat at best. Keeping the undefeated streak alive, the team is living up to the 2016 season mantra, #Revolution. It certainly appears that if the Ducks keep the pace they're setting early, this season could mean some big things come time to face Pac-12 opponents.

Quotes: Head coach Kat Mertz -

On the lead going into halftime…
"A lot of coaches think 2-0 is a hard lead in soccer, but it just takes one second to put them back in it. For us, we have been talking about defending Papé Field and that means denying shots and finding second balls. Stephen F. Austin went to the tournament last year and that's where we want to be. For us, it was just coming out here and finishing the game and that's what we did. We were a little bit sloppy there in the second half, but I'll take a goal and none against."

On going into the Boise State game…
"Stephen F. Austin posed some interesting problems for us to solve as far as us playing out of the back. I think we did a good job there and we rotated our midfield a little bit. They were really quick on the counter. As far as what we want to do, we always focus on keeping it sharp. We want to sharpen up our first and second touch, be a little bit more patient around the attacking third and recognize moments when we can capitalize on the transition moment. It's also important for us to recognize when we need to slow it down."

On this weekend's wins boosting morale…
"Every coach says winning cures all. For us, it's just one game at a time and building confidence as we get into it. The Pac-12 is a beast. All of what we are seeing right now is just going to prepare us for the conference schedule."

On finishing with more shots-on-goal…
"I think this is a team effort. The way we like to play is to build out of the back and I think we are good when playmaking come from our defensive half. We are good when our outside backs are being pushed really high and wide. We can't create those shots if we aren't in good technical shape, so I think all around, it was a good team effort. You let those forwards do what they do. As a whole, there were some good quality moments, but I would still like to sharpen up, as every coach will tell you even after a win.

On goalkeepers…
"Right now, it is a good and healthy competition between Halla and Katelyn. They both bring something different to the field. Halla has good leadership experience and played last year in the Pac-12 and Katelyn has a refreshing presence about her. It's just about the distribution and rebuilding the pitfalls out of the air. As a former goalkeeper, I'm just having fun watching them both make each other better."

On the "#Revolution"…
"We have been working really hard since the winter. The season doesn't start August 3, it started last winter. A lot of that is changing things that we do off the field, changing how we approach practice, how we celebrate our success and our teammates' success. I always talk about how little things make the big things happen and it really is a revolution. We will take that momentum and go one game at a time this season."

On the amount of goal scorers…
"There were some great scorers and great scoring opportunities tonight. We've scored four goals this weekend and that is awesome for us as well as knowing we didn't get any against us. Right now, Bailey Bruner and Kyra Fawcett are game changers and they are doing a great job coming off the bench for us. Abby Morrow scored a great goal against Nebraska and they are really coming through when we get into a pressure situations."

Looking Ahead: The Ducks will continue their home stand when Boise State and North Texas travel to Eugene on Sept. 2 and Sept. 4 for the Oregon Nike Tournament.

Follow the Ducks: Follow all of the University of Oregon women's soccer action both on and off the field. Make sure to follow @OregonSoccer on Twitter and use the team's hashtag #Revolution. Also follow the team on Facebook by "liking" Oregon Duck Women's Soccer and following Oregon Soccer on Instagram.

#GoDucks