The saying “Close, but no cigar!” fits the Oregon Ducks effort against the University of Colorado this Sunday as the Buffaloes took the victory 1-0. Both teams came into the game today after what they would call disappointing results from Friday’s games. Colorado lost to Oregon State 0-2 and were looking to avenge that effort, while Oregon drew with Pac-12 foe Utah 1-1.
The game started out with great pace, with both teams aggressively pushing the pace early in the first half. But about midway through the first half, the Ducks took control of possession and the momentum. However, the chances yielded zero goals. “Performance wise, we feel good about the actual performance thought we played well in terms of move the ball, maybe our best first half of soccer all year. Fair play to Colorado, their coaching staff got it right, in terms of the way they defended and set up,” stated Coach Graeme after the game.
In the 64th minute, Colorado’s Tessa Barton’s shot from the middle of the penalty box fought off multiple deflections to hit the back of the net and give the Buffaloes the lead, and ultimately the victory.
For the Ducks this weekend, the team showed offensive improvement with their ability to possess and move the ball, as well as show aggression when the net was in sight attempting 17 shots and eight corners in this game. But, Colorado stayed strong, saving seven shots and didn’t allow many clean looks for the Ducks at any point in the game. Here is what Coach Graeme Abel had to say about the positives from this weekend:
“Creating the chances – To create chances against Pac 12 teams is difficult to do, the size and the athleticism that Colorado has in their back line, it’s a hard thing to do. To create the amount of chances we have. Outside of two opportunities for Colorado we controlled the game extremely well, and that’s a hard thing to do.”
For Colorado, the match gives their season a much needed lift after dropping their previous two games, both of which they were shutout. They improve their record to 7-5-1.
The Ducks will look to improve on their 5-4-4 record next weekend as they travel north to face the Washington schools on Friday and Sunday.