BOISE, Idaho – Ajanae Respass’ goal in the 52nd minute and five saves by Maddy Goldberg led Oregon to a 1-1 tie against Boise State Thursday at the Boaz Soccer Complex.
The Ducks (0-6-2) fell behind when the Broncos (2-1-5) scored in the 14th minute, but fought back to earn the draw on Respass’ first goal of the season.
“We are disappointed we didn’t get the win based on how we went about the second half,” said coach Graeme Abel. “But for us to show the character and grit to dig ourselves out after halftime was a real positive.”
How It Happened: Trailing 1-0 at halftime, Oregon wasted no time finding the equalizer.
Respass was looking to use her height to her advantage and headed a ball on net in the 49th minute that was saved. Just over two minutes later, the Ducks were targeting Respass again when defender Anna Emperador served a long ball up the middle of the field into the Broncos’ box.
Respass got to the ball first and headed a shot to the right of the goalkeeper, who got a hand on the ball but couldn’t prevent it from going into the net.
Goldberg and the UO back line held BSU scores over the final 77 minutes.
The Broncos scored the first goal of the game 13 minutes into the match. Kenzie MacMillan placed a difficult chip just behind Oregon’s defense and BSU’s Carly Cross ran onto the ball and crossed it into the net for a 1-0 lead.
The Ducks created several scoring chances in the first half with eight shots and three corner kicks.
Notable: It was Respass’ first goal of the season and fifth of her career. She attempted a season-high four shots. … Emperador’s assist was the second of her career. … Oregon’s 11 shots was its second-highest in a game this year. … Defender Anna Phillips made her 44th consecutive start … With five saves, Goldberg moved within seven saves of entering the UO career top 10. Goldberg now shows 56 career saves.
Quotable:
UO coach Graeme Abel
“Credit to Boise State as they are a direct and difficult team to play based on how they stretch the game, but we managed to grab possession at critical times to control portions of the game. We are proud of the second half mentality but want to find ways to win these games.”
Up Next: The Ducks open Pac-12 play with a visit to Arizona on Sept. 22 (7 p.m., Pac-12 Network).
