Bay Area Trip Up Next for Soccer

The Ducks travel to the Bay Area to face California on Thursday (2 p.m.) and No. 5 Stanford on Sunday (12 p.m.).

ON THE PITCH
• Oregon has played the second-most difficult schedule in the nation, according to this week's NCAA RPI report, trailing only Tennessee, and could take over the top spot following the trip to the Bay Area. Oregon played the 11th-toughest schedule in the nation in 2022.
• The Ducks are at the end of a stretch that has them playing five straight matches against teams that advanced to the 2022 NCAA Tournament: USC (Oct. 5), defending NCAA champion UCLA (Oct. 8), ASU (Oct. 13), Stanford (Oct. 19) and California (Oct. 22).
• The Ducks are one of the youngest teams in the nation. Oregon's 29-player roster features 15 freshmen (10 true freshman, 5 RS-freshmen), 9 sophomores, 4 juniors, no seniors and 1 fifth-year player.
• Among major conference schools, Oregon's 15 freshmen trails only Pittsburgh for the most on its 2023 roster. The Panthers have 16 freshmen, one ahead of the Ducks. Among all conferences, Jacksonville has 21 freshmen while Hampton has 18.
• Oregon's freshmen accounted for 62.1 percent of the team's shots (72-of-116) and have made nearly half of the team's starts (71-of-154; 46.1 percent). The Ducks have started five or more freshmen nine times this season with a high of seven Aug. 27 at Missouri State. Duck freshmen have also registered three goals and five assists.
• Three freshmen - Cameron Bourne, Kristen Conti and Mia McSweeney - have started all 14 games this season.
• Half of the Ducks' starting back line from a year ago is now playing professionally in the NWSL. Croix Soto is playing with the Kansas City Current, while Chai Cortez is with the San Diego Wave.
• Defender Anna Phillips made her 50th consecutive last week against Arizona State.

FRESHMEN SET PACE AGAINST ARIZONA STATE
Oregon's freshmen class attempted 10 of 12 shots Oct. 13 versus Arizona State. Cameron Bourne had a career high four shots against te Sun Devils, while Ryann Reynolds attempted three, also a career high.

FRESHMEN TAKE CENTER STAGE VS. COLORADO & UTAH
Oregon's freshmen class had a big weekend against Colorado and Utah. Freshmen accounted for two goals, three assists, 18 shots and 18 saves versus the mountain schools. Kristen Conti scored her first career goal against Colorado, while Livvy Moore attempted a career-high three shots. The rookies continued to shine three days later against Utah. Ryann Reynolds, Mia McSweeney and Cameron Bourne all got their first career assists, while Lauren Kenny checked in with her first career goal. Another freshman, Grace Mensah, led the Ducks with four shots against the Buffaloes. In goal, freshman Leah Parsons got her first two career starts and made 11 saves against Colorado, which was tied for ninth on the UO single-game top 10.

YOUTH MOVEMENT
Oregon is one of the youngest teams in the nation. The Ducks rank fourth overall, and second among power conference teams, with 15 freshmen on the roster. Jacksonville has the most with 21, Followed by Hampton (18), Pitt (16) and Oregon, Maryland, Iona and Utah Tech (15).
Most Freshmen on the 2023 Roster
1.   21   Jacksonville
2.   18   Hampton
3.   16   Pitt
4.   15   Oregon, Iona, Maryland, Utah Tech