Ducks Weekly Women’s Soccer Digest

photo courtesy: goducks.com

EUGENE - STORY LINES - DUCKS LOOK TO END SKID . . . Oregon returns to action at this weekend’s OSU Soccer Classic in Corvallis, looking to put an end to its six-game losing streak that dates back to last season.

The Ducks will play New Hampshire on Friday, and then Iona on Sunday. It will be the first time Oregon faces either of those East Coast schools.

SHOTS COMING, GOALS NOT SO MUCH . . . The Ducks dropped a pair of 1-goal decisions to UC Riverside (1-0) and Loyola Marymount (2-1) last weekend, but can take comfort in their ability to generate scoring opportunities.

Combined, the Ducks outshot those two opponents 34-27, including a 23-10 edge in the second half. On the season, Oregon has a slim 43-42 edge in shots, but in the second half of games, that margin goes to 29-15. Also, Oregon ranks second in the Pac-10 in shots per game (14.3)

NEWTON ENDS UO SCORING DROUGHT . . . Sophomore midfielder Allison Newton ended Oregon’s school record scoring drought with her first career goal at the 65:14 mark against Loyola Marymount. Prior to that score, the Ducks had gone 571:24 without scoring a goal, dating back to a 1-0 win at Washington Oct. 28, 2005.

DUCKS MEET UNH, IONA FOR FIRST TIME . . . This weekend will mark the first meetings between Oregon and New Hampshire, as well as the Ducks and Iona. New Hampshire, from the America East Conference, is 1-1-0 on the season, with a 2-0 win at Massachusetts and a 3-2 loss to Brown. The Wildcats’ scheduled game Friday at Providence was postponed due to heavy rain. Iona, from the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, is 0-3-1 in 2006, having most recently lost to Massachusetts 3-1 and tied Columbia 1-1.

TOUGH SCHEDULE . . . Oregon’s three losses have come to opponents that have gotten off to fast starts in 2006. Through Sunday, the combined record of Long Beach State (3-1-0), UC Riverside (3-1-0) and Loyola Marymount (1-0-1) was 7-2-1. And both losses -- Long Beach to UCLA and Riverside to Colorado College -- came against foes now ranked in one or more polls. The 49ers are also now a top-25 team.

THREE MORE SEE FIRST ACTION OF 2006 VERSUS UCR . . . Freshmen Barbara Blocker and Megan Watson made their Duck debuts in the Sept. 1 loss at UC Riverside. They became the eighth and ninth newcomers to set foot on the field for Oregon this season. Two other players, senior Rachel Grushkin and sophomore Taylor Callan, saw their first action of 2006 against the Highlanders. The nine newcomers who have played for Oregon so far this season are freshmen Blocker, Teresa Bowns, Melissa Buich, Rianna Mansfield, Dani Oster, Leigh Quinlan, Danielle Sweeney and Watson, and sophomore Adriana Montes.

INJURY UPDATE . . . With freshman Megan Watson’s (groin) return to the field last weekend, Oregon is down to just two injured players. Senior GK Emily Marrer is out for the immediate future, still rehabbing a spring shoulder injury. Junior F Tiffany Smith is nearing recovery from spring ankle surgery and could be back in action this week or next. Smith led Oregon with three assists last season.

STARTS & STREAKS . . . Oregon is 0-3 for the first time since the 2002 team also started 0-3. The Ducks have never started a season 0-4. Oregon’s five shutouts in a row dating back to last season tied the school record set three times previously (1996, 2000, 2003). The Ducks have now dropped six matches in a row, also dating to last season, which is the second-longest streak in school history and one off the school record of seven set during the 2000 season.

ONE BIG HAPPY FAMILY . . . The opening week of the season was quite eventful for the Erickson family. Oregon head coach Tara Erickson gave birth to daughter Taj Makena on Aug. 23. Less than two days after giving birth, she returned to the sideline for the Ducks’ season-opener versus Long Beach State. Erickson then celebrated her 33rd birthday the next day. And four days after Taj Makena’s birth, dad Kraig Erickson competed in Ironman Canada (Penticton, B.C.) and completed the triathlon in 12:34:33, placing 863rd out of 2,352 entrants (2,175 finished).

CHATFIELD PASSES 100 CAREER SAVES . . . Back for her second season in the net, goalkeeper Jessie Chatfield made six saves -- including one tremendous stop on a penalty kick -- in the season opener against Long Beach State. That lifted her career total over 100, as the Eugene, Ore., native became the fourth Oregon keeper to surpass 100 career saves. She now shows 117 career saves. Chatfield was named Pac-10 all-freshman and all-conference honorable mention after recording seven shutouts in 2005, and was one of three freshmen (Nicole Dobrzynski, Allison Newton) to start on defense for the Ducks last season.

GARBIN FOR ALL-AMERICA . . . Ranking first or second in virtually every career offensive category at Oregon, senior forward Nicole Garbin is making a bid for national honors. In the spring, the two-time All-Pac-10 selection was granted a rare sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA. The Wailuku, Hawaii, native needs 10 goals and 12 points to become Oregon’s career leader in those categories. She’s already tops in game-winning goals, assists and shots.

WELCOME BACK . . . Forward Leigh Quinlan and midfielder Jen Cameron returned to varsity action after redshirting the 2005 season due to knee injuries. Quinlan, a freshman from Victoria, B.C., scored a pair of goals in the Ducks’ Aug. 19 intersquad scrimmage. Cameron, a sophomore from Tigard, Ore., saw action at both midfield and defense in the team’s scrimmage and assisted on Quinlan’s second goal.

GAME BREAKER . . . Since her career began in 2001, the Ducks are 26-30-3 when Nicole Garbin takes the field, and 5-28-5 when she has been injured or missed games due to a red card.

DUCKS ON THE INTERNET . . . Six home games have been picked for internet radio broadcasts on www.goducks.com. The schedule is Long Beach State (8/25), Washington (10/13), Washington State (10/15), Oregon State (10/20), UCLA (11/3) and USC (11/5). John Strong of campus radio station KWVA will call the action.

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