Oregon is set to begin its 2024 season against Seattle University on Thursday at Papé Field. It will face off against Portland State University at home on Sunday before hitting the road for two games.
The Ducks will be facing several big changes in 2024, including a move to the Big Ten and a refreshed roster.
Oregon Ducks
Oregon is coming off a 2023 season in which it went 0-16-3. Part of the winless season was due to inexperience. The Ducks had 15 freshmen which ranked second among Power Five schools.
But head coach Graeme Abel hit the transfer portal hard in the offseason. Oregon welcomes 16 new players while losing 17 from last season. Seven of the transfers enter with previous NCAA Tournament experience. Fifth-year defender Makoto Nezu was part of the Santa Clara team that won the 2022 National Championship.
“The great thing this year is we don’t put as much pressure on the freshmen in order to have to contribute right away,” Abel said about the benefits to having more veterans on the squad.
The Ducks bring back four starters from 2023. Among the returning players is Maddy Goldberg, who started 15 games in goal last season, forward Lauren Kenny, midfielder Trinity Morales and midfielder Livvy Moore.
Abel and several players expressed that they quickly “closed the chapter” on the 2023 season and are ready to move forward. The new-look Ducks’ squad played two exhibition games in August. It defeated Oregon State 2-1 and finished in a 1-1 draw against Idaho.
“I think the question that we answered is that we’re a team here to prove a statement,” Morales said. “There’s no questions left. It’s just what we have to prove now.”
Oregon women’s soccer is the first Ducks team to begin its 2023-2024 season, meaning Thursday’s match against Seattle will be the first of the Big Ten era.
Seattle University
The Redhawks will be Oregon’s first test in 2024. Seattle isn’t a team to take lightly, as it has five NCAA Division I Tournament appearances, five conference tournament championships and six regular season conference titles under the leadership of head coach Julie Woodward.
“They’ve always been athletic. Julie does a really good job there of getting good kids, local kids. They get a lot of kids to transfer back into that area as well,” Abel said. “So, they’ll be athletic, they’ll be organized, they’ll be good. They’re always good up top. They’ll be a tough opponent.”
Leading the Redhawks is defender Kait Raffensperger, who won Western Athletic Conference Defender of the Year in 2023. Raffensperger was picked to defend her title this season in a WAC preseason awards list.
Seattle had a 10-9-2 record in 2023. It was tied to finish second this season in the WAC Preseason Coaches’ Poll.
PSU
The Vikings will be the second opponent of the two-game homestand to begin the season.
PSU finished third in the Big Sky standings for the second season in a row in 2023, with an 8-8-2 record. Head coach Katie Burton helped the Vikings reach their highest winning percentage since 2014 — something they’ll only look to build on.
The program returned its leader in points from last season, Abi Hoffman. She secured the second-most points in the conference with 18 — six goals and six assists. The All-Big Sky Honorable Mention is one to look out for against the Ducks on Sunday.
PSU begins its season on Friday at Boise State before facing Oregon in Eugene.
Prediction
The Ducks have an opportunity to begin the season strong with a pair of wins at home. Oregon needs to show that it has moved past its winless season. If the Ducks can hold their own — or dominate — against Seattle and PSU, it will give the team and the fans a confidence boost as they prepare for conference play.
Oregon will face Seattle on Thursday at 7 p.m. and PSU on Sunday at 1 p.m. Both matches will be at Papé Field and will be streamed on KWVA.