Ducks Announce Soccer Award Winners
EUGENE - The University of Oregon women’s soccer team announced a trio of team award winners Sunday at its annual team awards banquet.
Offensive MVP award honors went to redshirt freshman Andrea Valadez. In 2003, the Torrance, Calif., native led the team in goals (7) and game-winners (3), and ranked second in points (19) and assists (5), and third in shots (34) and shots on goal (18). She led Pac-10 freshmen at the end of the regular season in goals, assists and points. During the year she scored three goals in a league trip to the Arizona schools (ASU-2, UA-1), and also in wins vs. California, Oregon State, Weber State and Pacific.
Defensive MVP award honors went to junior Christine Mintz. The Vashon Island, Wash., native was one of only five Pac-10 Conference players to play every minute of the regular season (1,816 total), and ended the year with the Ducks’ longest starting streak (38 games from 2002 and ?03). She added assists for the Ducks in 2003 in wins over Sacramento State and Weber State.
The Most Inspirational Award was given to senior goalkeeper Mary Etter. The Everett, Wash., native returned for her second year on the pitch and helped the Ducks to wins in both her of appearances - at Cal State Fullerton (5-0) in 2003 and vs. Wisconsin-Green Bay (4-2) in 2002. The two-sport star also made her fourth NCAA appearance in the discus in track & field in 2003, to go along with two All-America honors and four, Pac-10 top-four finishes. As a prep, she attended Snohomish High School, and helped her soccer squad to state title as a sophomore as the starting goalkeeper.
The team also recognized several individuals for their academic success. Sophomore Caitlin Gamble received the Ducks’ first-ever Academic All-America honor as the Verizon-sponsored third-team honoree owned the highest GPA among the three teams’ 66 honorees (4.09, Biology). Gamble was also a West Regional first team honoree with Mintz, and sophomore defender Carlie Ashcraft, and senior defender Dara Wone was a fourth nominee for the regional squad. Coach Bill Steffen also noted that the team as a whole sported an impressive cumulative 3.4 grade point average.
Other gifts were given to the team’s senior trio of Mary Etter and defenders Lindsey Werdell and Dara Wone. Captain and Eugene product Werdell started all 19 of her games this season and 36 more as a sophomore and junior. She scored on penalty kicks in 2003 in wins over Oregon State (4-3) and Weber State (3-2) and a loss to USC (3-1), and owned the season best for assists in a game (2) in 2-1 win at Pacific. Burnaby, B.C. native Wone played 41 career games - second most on the team - and completed her return from a serious knee injury in 2001 to start a career-best nine games last fall. In 2002, she led defenders in shots (3) and shots on goal (3), and also logged two shots as a freshman in 2000.
The 2003 fall season marked arguably the Ducks’ most successful in history. The young squad set a record for overall wins (9) and tied its most Pac-10 wins (3). Among other individual highlights, redshirt sophomore forward Nicole Garbin broke Duck season records in shots (70), assists (19), and points (22), and sophomore goalkeeper Domenique Lainez tied for the Pac-10 lead in overall saves (90), and ranked second in saves per game (4.50).
The Duck women tentatively open their 2004 fall campaign at home at Pape’ Field vs. San Diego, Fri., Aug. 27 and San Diego State, Sun., Aug. 29.
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