Ducks Open Pac-12 Play at Arizona

Oregon begins Pac-12 play with a trip to Tucson to face Arizona (Friday, 7 p.m. PT, Pac-12 Network).

ON THE PITCH
• Both Oregon and Arizona played Boise State to a 1-1 draw earlier this season.
• The Ducks are one of the youngest teams in the nation. Oregon's 29-player roster features 15 freshmen (10 true freshman, 5 RS-freshmen), 9 sophomores, 4 juniors, no seniors and 1 fifth-year player.
• Among major conference schools, Oregon's 15 freshmen trails only Pittsburgh for the most on its 2023 roster. The Panthers have 16 freshmen, one ahead of the Ducks. Among all conferences, Jacksonville has 21 freshmen while Hampton has 18.
• Oregon's freshmen have accounted for 50.7 percent of the team's shots (34-of-56) and have made nearly half of the team's starts (41-of-88; 46.7 percent). The Ducks have started five or more freshman five times this season with a high of seven Aug. 27 at Missouri State. Duck freshman have also registered two assists and one goal.
• Three freshmen - Cameron Bourne, Kristen Conti and Mia McSweeney - have started all eight games this season.
• Half of the Ducks' starting back line from a year ago is now playing professionally in the NWSL. Croix Soto is playing with the Kansas City Current, while Chai Cortez is with the San Diego Wave.
• Oregon's schedule is the second toughest in the Pac-12 and 30th nationally according to this week's NCAA RPI report. The Ducks' 12 remaining future opponents have a combined record of 55-16-17. Oregon played the 11th-toughest schedule in the nation in 2022.
• Oregon has faced three teams picked to win their respective conferences - Arkansas (SEC), Missouri State (MVC) and Northern Arizona (Big Sky). In Pac-12 action, Oregon will play five straight matches against teams that advanced to the 2022 NCAA Tournament: USC (Oct. 5), defending NCAA champion UCLA (Oct. 8), ASU (Oct. 13), Stanford (Oct. 19) and California (Oct. 22).
• Goalkeeper Maddy Goldberg leads the Pac-12 with 43 saves.
• Junior center back Anna Phillips has started 44 consecutive matches.

RESPASS BREAKS THROUGH
Oregon's goals (4) and points (10) leader a year ago, Ajanae Respass broke through with her first goal of the season Sept. 14 at Boise State. Her header in the 52nd minute tied the game at 1-1. Anna Emperador served a perfect ball into the box for her first assist of the season and second of her career.

FRESHMEN PROVIDE OREGON'S FIRST ASSISTS AND A GOAL
Oregon's talented freshman class was a big factor in the Aug. 31 game at Northern Arizona. Freshman Kristen Conti assisted on Callan Harrington's goal in the 11th minute. Then it was a freshman-to-freshman connection for the Ducks second goal of the game. In the 75th minute, Lauren Kenny kicked a perfect cross into the box and Ryann Reynolds headed the ball into the back of the net for her first career goal.

YOUTH MOVEMENT
Oregon is one of the youngest teams in the nation. The Ducks rank fourth overall, and second among power conference teams, with 15 freshmen on the roster. Jacksonville has the most with 21, Followed by Hampton (18), Pitt (16) and Oregon, Maryland, Iona and Utah Tech (15).
Most Freshmen on the 2023 Roster
1.   21   Jacksonville
2.   18   Hampton
3.   16   Pitt
4.   15   Oregon, Iona, Maryland, Utah Tech

GOLDBERG APPROACHES TOP 10 IN CAREER SAVES
Maddy Goldberg made a career-high eight saves to earn her first career shutout as Oregon and Missouri State played to a 0-0 tie Aug. 27 in Springfield, Mo. She now has a Pac-12 best 43 saves on the year and 56 in her Oregon career. She needs seven more saves to enter the UO career top 10 in saves. Goldberg has made at least five saves in all but one game this season, After appearing in three games in 2021, Goldberg redshirted the 2022 season behind Pac-12 Goalkeeper of the Year Leah Freeman.

RECENT SUCCESS UNDER ABEL
In 2020 and 2021 under coach Graeme Abel, Oregon posted consecutive winning seasons for the first time in 40 years; 1980 (13-1-3) and 1981 (13-2-3). The Ducks' 9-4-6 2021 record was their best since 2006 (12-6-2). It was the fourth-best mark in program history (.632).

ABEL A TWO-TIME WORLD CUP CHAMPION
Graeme Abel, the Ducks' fourth head coach in the modern era (1996-present), has a pair of World Cup championships to his credit after serving as an assistant coach for the U.S. National Women's Soccer team (2015, 2019).