By Rob Moseley
GoDucks.com
EUGENE, Ore. – Coming into this fall, the Oregon soccer program expressed confidence that it had flushed a difficult 2023 season and was ready to attack 2024.
The Ducks talked the talk. Now, they’re walking the walk.
For the first time since 2018 a UO soccer team has opened a season with consecutive wins, after the Oregon women beat Portland State at Papé Field on Sunday, 2-0. The Ducks opened their season with a win Thursday over Seattle, 1-0.
“A couple wins under us, it makes it more real,” said senior midfielder Haley McWhirter, who assisted on Sunday’s opening goal by Livvy Moore and who was one of 16 newcomers to the UO program this offseason — 13 of which have already appeared in a game this fall. “But I think we knew from the start, this is how it’s gonna be. We’re gonna get wins.”
Moore, a sophomore and one of four returning starters from the 2023 team that was winless, scored the first goal of her career in the 59th minute Sunday. Freshman Carly Cormack added some insurance 11 minutes later, while junior goalkeeper Maddy Goldberg gave the Ducks consecutive shutouts for the first time since 2021.
The significance of this 2-0 start for Moore?
“I don’t really think you could put it into words,” she said. “But the group of people we have in that locker room, I know (UO coach Graeme Abel) has talked about it before, it’s just great humans and fun people to be around. So it’s even more fun to win with people you want to win with.”
This isn’t the first strong start for the Ducks under Abel, their fifth-year head coach; the 2021 team didn’t lose until October, and it was the second of three teams in a row that started the season with a win and then a tie. But Oregon hasn’t gone win-win to open the season since 2018, and the UO women now will look to start 3-0 for the first time since 2011.
Sunday’s late lead allowed Abel to get 19 players into the game overall, including four different true freshmen.
“Today was great; we were able to get more players into the game today, which we’ll need some days as we get through the season,” Abel said. “Three goals (in two games), three different goal scorers, no goals conceded — yeah, really solid stuff.”
For the second straight match, the Ducks went into halftime scoreless but broke through in the second half. The go-ahead goal Sunday began with Moore serving the ball to McWhirter on the left side of the PSU box, then streaking up the right side of the field. Moore took a crossing pass back from McWhirter before tucking a shot between the PSU keeper and the near goal post.
A few minutes later, another give-and-go play yielded another goal. Cormack got the ball to Kenny, who put it back at the feet of Cormack near the top of the box. A left-footed laser made it 2-0, Oregon.
Cormack put her hands to her face in disbelief, was mobbed by teammates and then looked to the Papé Field stands to find her parents, who had flown in from Hawaii for her first weekend of collegiate action.
Lauren Kenny sets up Carly Cormack for Oregon’s second goal of the game!
The Ducks outshot the Viks, 20-9, and now have a 41-17 advantage in shots through two games. Though Abel felt Sunday’s start could have been cleaner, for the second match in a row Oregon generally controlled possession in the opening minutes, setting the tone for the day.
“I think we’re a pressing team this year,” McWhirter said. “We’re gonna press, we’re gonna put people under pressure. That immediately sets the tone from the start. We’re gonna press, we’re gonna keep the ball — that’s just who we are.”
Now the Ducks will look to continue that trend away from the friendly confines of Papé Field. After two wins at home, they’ll go on the road next week, for matches at New Mexico State and New Mexico.
Oregon will look to recreate the energy it captured at home this past weekend, thanks to two lively crowds.
“I think it’s definitely a challenge, for sure, but I think we’re ready for it,” Moore said. “Like I said before, the energy (of this year’s team) is completely different. And I think we know going into it that that’s something that we have to bring with us, especially since we’re not gonna have as many fans. But, Ducks travel, so we’ll have people there.”
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