By: Xaiver Aguiar
The Ducks danced with the Devils on a chilly Friday night from Eugene, Oregon. After 110 minutes of action, the game ended in a 1-1 draw, with both teams wishing they had gotten a better result. The game took a while to get going, but when it did, it didn’t disappoint.
Oregon dominated the first-half possession as Arizona State sat back and forced the Ducks to the side of the field. The Sun Devils gameplan was clear: wait for Oregon to make a mistake and create a strong counterattack. The issue for ASU was they couldn’t generate any semblance of build-up play on the counter. It looked like that wouldn’t matter, though, as off a set piece Duck goalie Leah Freeman came off her line to snag the ball but collided with an ASU attacker. While on the ground, Freeman put her hands up and made a miraculous save, which will feature on highlight reels for the rest of her Oregon career.
Right before the half, Oregon started the scoring with a bar-down strike by midfield True Dydasco. It marked her first career goal as a Duck and is one she’ll never forget. It seemed like from that point on, Oregon had the game in hand. There was visual frustration across the Arizona State team, and their opportunities started becoming fewer and farther between. Then, disaster struck for the Ducks. A miscommunication lead Leah Freeman far off her line, where she appeared to impede the attacker’s advancement of the ball. The ref awarded ASU a free-kick where scoring sensation Nicole Douglas buried the ball in the back of the net to knot the game at 1.
The contest was stagnant after that. There weren’t any great chances at the end of regulation, and overtime followed. Oregon dominated the first extra frame, where Arizona State controlled the second one. 110 minutes weren’t enough, and the game ended in a disappointing draw. The all-time series between the two teams sits at a razor-tight 9-9-2.
Oregon (2-3-2) turns their attention to the other school in the valley of the sun, the Arizona Wildcats. The Ducks have yet to win a game in March but have plenty of time to turn that around. That game will be streaming live on the Oregon Stream and can be listened to on KWVA 88.1.
Graeme Abel
True Dydasco