University of Oregon
Ohio State (Exhibition)
Duck Soccer Ties No. 10 Ohio State, 1-1
08/24/04 | Women's Soccer
BEAVERTON, Ore. - The University of Oregon women's soccer team played to a 1-1 tie with No. 10 Ohio State in its exhibition opener Tuesday evening at the Nike campus southeast of Portland.
“I thought we had a pretty good effort for our first game,” Oregon head coach Bill Steffen said. “Ohio State is good team, and they have a lot of talent. A lot of our players are coming back from injuries so this gave them some confidence. I thought all our individuals played hard, and I was happy that each one took advantage of their time on the field.”
The Buckeyes got on the board early in the 13th minute on a goal by freshman midfielder Lara Dickenmann - an eight-yard header from the left side of the goal to the left center net. The assist was credited to sophomore defender Melissa Miller on an indirect kick from 25 yards wide left.
Afterwards, ball possession flip-flopped between the teams for a majority of the three, 30-minute period contest, until junior midfielder Cristan Higa converted a penalty kick just after the 80th minute. The penalty chance was created on a foul in the box when freshman forward Kami Kapaku was pulled down from behind on a 1x1 near the goalie box. The run was set up on a 30-yard lofted pass from just inside the midfield line on the right side by fellow frosh Emily Danner.
“There was no strategy, I just hit it hard,” Higa said. “I ended up going a different direction than I have in the past, and it worked out. Overall, I thought we played pretty well as a team, especially against a top-10 team in one poll. It was also interesting to see how our freshmen would step up in a new environment. They responded well and showed good composure.”
The Diamond Bar, Calif., native Higa and team captain almost scored 20 minutes earlier when she booted a ball off the central crossbar on a long arc'er.
At game's end, Ohio State held an unofficial 9-8 shot edge, while their goalkeepers combined for six saves (Oregon goalkeeping stats were not tallied). Individually, Ohio State's leading shot-taker ended with three shots, and Higa led the Ducks with three shots.
The Ducks played their entire roster of healthy players, with all seven of the Duck newcomers seeing ample time.
“Our freshmen blended in pretty well,” Steffen said. “I imagine some of them haven't seen a 4-3-3 like this before. They made some mistakes here and there, but it wasn't from a lack of effort and they corrected their mistakes pretty quickly. One thing we'll look to improve on as a team is our set plays, both offensively and defensively. We have some people settling into new roles, and it takes a while to get comfortable individually and as a unit managing spacing and timing. ”
The game was the Ducks' first on the Nike campus as they played on the Ronaldo Fields under 60-degree, partly sunny/cloudy skies. Tuesday also marked the first Oregon game against a Big Ten opponent. The Buckeyes were recently tabbed 10th and 18th in the Soccer Buzz and Soccer America preseason polls, respectively, and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season.
Looking ahead, the Ducks open their regular season this weekend at Pape' Field in Eugene with a Friday match vs. UC Santa Barbara at 7 pm, and a Sunday match against San Diego State at 1 pm. Ticket prices are $5 for adults, $3 for kids and senior citizens, and more ticket information is available at 1-800-WEB-FOOT or online at the www.GoDucks.com website.
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