Oregon Soccer Spring Recap - University of Oregon Athletics

Despite being a little slim on numbers, the Oregon women’s soccer team had a productive spring, going 3-0-1 (recaps below), that has virtually everyone looking forward to the fall and the upcoming 2006 season. Oregon coach Tara Erickson recently reflected on the spring with a look ahead to the August 9 start of fall camp and the August 25 season opener versus Long Beach State.

“I thought we had a great spring,” said Oregon coach Tara Erickson. “The returning players really put in the time and had a great work ethic towards the individual and team goals we established.

“One of the areas I thought we really improved in was our fitness. I have to commend the players because they had a great attitude about becoming a fitter team, and we saw the rewards of their hard work in games this spring, particularly against Utah and Oregon State.

“I think we also improved in terms of our strength and agility. The returning players will need some of those tools that we worked on this spring, because we are bringing in nine pretty skilled freshmen who will push the returning players at just about every position. And I’m excited to get the freshmen into the mix to challenge this group because that’s how you become better as a team.

Midfield

“We played out of a 4-4-2 set with wide midfielders. A lot of our goals came off crosses, which we didn’t see in fall. We tried some different people at defensive midfield and Darcie Gardner and Jen Cameron did a good job and got some experience there. I thought they both were able to win some balls in the air, which is something we’re looking from at that position. Taylor Callan saw a lot of minutes at attacking midfield and we saw her athleticism improve through winter conditioning and training.”

Defense

“The back line and Jessie (Chatfield) impressed me the most. After losing Katie Abrahamson (to graduation), I wondered if we would be able to replace her leadership on the field, but I think we did. I think our back four was the most consistent group this spring and will be a strength for us going into the fall. And overall, I think we learned how to defend better and more aggressively all over the field.”

Forward

“We also got a lot of scoring from Nicole Garbin, which isn’t a surprise, and we’ll demand that she be a force for 90 minutes a game this fall. I think we need to keep working on finding someone who can play off her. I also think we need to work on supporting our attack from the midfielders and defenders.”

Injuries

Oregon welcomed back sophomore midfielder Jen Cameron, who sat out all of 2005 after suffering a knee injury last spring, and was close getting freshman forward Leigh Quinlan back on the field. The Canadian U20 pool player was also sidelined by a knee injury last spring.

“Getting those two back is going to help,” said Erickson. “I’m anxious to see if Leigh can add to our attack. And Jen Cameron is a smart player who really changes our midfield.”

On the down side, the Ducks lost junior forward Tiffany Smith to ankle surgery. The Eugene, Ore., native is questionable and for the fall and may end up redshirting the season. The Ducks also had to make due without reserve goalkeeper Emily Marrer, as the senior suffered a shoulder injury at Cal’s tournament, and senior midfielder Kate Nelson, who had to retire from the sport due to a series of concussions.

Spring Recaps

The Ducks went 3-0-1 in full-squad exhibitions this spring, and 3-2 at California’s 7-A-Side tournament. Here are brief recaps of each competition.

Oregon 0, Utah 0

April 14, 2006

Beaverton, Ore.

Oregon’s defense took center stage as the Ducks and goalkeeper Jessie Chatfield blanked Utah, which has gone to three straight NCAA tournaments. Evidence of Oregon’s new fitness was a factor as Oregon was the fresher team at the end of 90 minutes, despite the fact that Utah was at the end of its spring season, while the Ducks were only at the beginning.

“Our back four ? Dylann Tharp, Darcie Gardner, Nicole Dobrzynski and Allison Newton -- were tested and played pretty well,” said Erickson. “Utah is a very possession-oriented team with a good midfield that supports their attack. Even though we didn’t score, I thought we were able to challenge their attack and created some good scoring opportunities.”

Oregon 1, Seattle University 0

April 23, 2006

Beaverton, Ore.

Walk-on freshman Kara Beasley converted a Seattle turnover into an opportunistic goal in the first half and Oregon made that lead stand up in a physical match.

“This was a different challenge for us from the Utah game because there were times Seattle threw their forwards at us in mass,” said Erickson. “I think this caused us to play a little frantic defensively and it wasn’t our best effort of the spring, but we did manage to collect ourselves. Offensively, we saw Nicole Garbin and Tiffany Smith working some combinations pretty well together up top, and that’s an area we’ll continue to work on this fall.”

California 7-A-Side Tournament (3-2)

April 29, 2006

Berkeley, Calif.

If there was a disappointment this spring, it came at Cal’s 7-A-Side tournament, where the Ducks went 3-2 and were unable to advance to the championship round. A setback to Pacific early in the day ultimately left Oregon heading home early. But following that loss, the Ducks had a pretty good afternoon in the Bay Area.

“It was disappointing not to be part of the championship round, and I’m not sure if we were quite ready to play against Pacific, but once we shook that off, we did some good things,” said Erickson. “One of the things that really stood out is that Jessie Chatfield is a phenomenal goalkeeper. In a seven-versus-seven format, your goal is constantly under attack, and she made some amazing saves. She really has the potential to be the best goalkeeper in the conference.”

Oregon 1, Oregon State 0

May 5, 2006

Corvallis, Ore.

The Ducks broke through on Garbin’s goal in the final minute to claim a win over their Civil War rivals. Jen Cameron, who had been working well supporting Oregon’s forwards the entire match, set up Garbin’s score for a well-earned assist. Cameron, a sophomore from Tigard, Ore., sat out the 2005 season after suffering a knee injury last spring, and her return to the field this spring has been a big boost for the Ducks.

“This was probably our most complete game of the spring,” said Erickson. “And again, I think our fitness was an important factor in this game because we had the ability to finish and get a goal right in the last minute. I’m not sure we could have done that last fall. We controlled the entire match, particularly the last 80 minutes. Jessie (Chatfield) did a great job dictating play from the back and keeping us organized and Jen Cameron did some nice things in the middle. We definitely outplayed Oregon State and earned the win.”

Oregon 4, Western Oregon 0

May 13, 2006

Eugene Ore.

After the home fans satiated themselves on a pregame tailgate ? probably the first of its kind at Oregon for a spring contest ? it didn’t take long for the Ducks to take charge and finish off Western Oregon 4-0 to conclude the spring.

The Ducks got three first half goals ? one each from Kara Beasley, Adriana Montes and Rachel Grushkin ? to take a 3-0 halftime lead, and then tacked on a fourth from Cristan Higa in the second half.

Beasley, the walk-on freshman from Portland, Ore., claimed the Ducks scoring title in the spring with her second goal of the season. On the play, she was set up by Nicole Garbin’s cross that tipped of Montes’ feet and settled to Beasley, who converted from the left side.

Montes, from Eugene and another walk-on freshman, took a nice feed from Grushkin and sent home a left-footed score to make it 2-0. Grushkin, a senior from Eureka, Calif., then added a score of her own when her cross bent around and over WOU’s keeper and into the far upper corner of the net. Following the game, both Beasley and Montes were added to the varsity roster for the fall.

“It was good to get our attack going and score some goals,” said Erickson. “I was pleased with the way we attacked and had support from our midfield and defenders in the attacking third of the field. And it was nice to get goals from four different players and to see Rachel (Grushkin) and Adriana (Montes) score and finish the spring on a positive note. And the two walk-ons certainly earned their spot on the team. They both have a great work ethic and will add to our practices this fall.”