EUGENE, Ore. - Hoping to secure their first win in six games, Oregon women’s soccer (2-6-2, 0-2-1 Big Ten) faced off against the Northwestern Wildcats (4-1-5, 0-0-3 Big Ten) at Papé Field. A strong battle between two teams looking for their first conference win ended in a scoreless draw.
“I think we played a little cleaner,” Oregon head coach Tracy Joyner said. “… And I think we were hard to defend today.”
The early phase of the match was dominated by the strong defense from both teams. Neither team could get a true look on goal until the 11th minute, when Megan Norkett placed the ball off target for the Wildcats.
Taylor Bryan gave Oregon its first shot in the 12th minute, before it went out for a Ducks corner. Off the corner from sophomore Carly Cormack, Abella Hunter launched the ball over the top crossbar.
In the 19th minute, Kennedy Roesch gave Northwestern its second look on goal, but Selah Simms blocked it before it could bounce into the net.
Bryan connected with the ball again in the 25th minute, but the ball bounced the wrong way off the top crossbar, preventing Oregon from putting one on the board. Addisen Boyer continued the acceleration of play for the Ducks in the 27th minute, placing another shot off target over the top.
Oregon goalkeeper Caeley Goldstein dove on the ground to make a save in the 30th minute, keeping it a scoreless match. Just a minute later, Lauren Kenny sent a shot sky high for the Ducks on the opposite end of the field.
In the 34th minute, Roesch took a long shot for the Wildcats from outside the penalty area. However, it landed right in the hands of Goldstein. Ella Osmussen took a deep shot of her own for the Ducks in the 37th minute, but just like Roesch’s long ball, it found the hands of a goalkeeper, with Northwestern’s Nyamma Nelson making the save.
In the 42nd minute, Kenny gave the Ducks their best chance at finding the back of the net in the first half, with the ball rolling just right of the goal.
The action in the second half picked up in the 50th minute, with a shot off the boot of Keira Kemmerley, but Goldstein protected the goal.
Sarah O’Donnell had a look for the Wildcats in the bottom center of the net,.Goldstein was standing right in the way of the ball, though, in the 60th minute.
“I think our backline has been really good,” Joyner said. “I think our defensive effort in general has been really good. It’s keeping us in games.”
Bryan gave Oregon its first real look on goal in the second half in the 70th minute, taking a shot within the six-yard box, but couldn’t hook it far enough right, as the ball landed out of bounds to the left of the goal. Freshman Izzy Sawyers followed Bryan’s shot up with one of her own just a minute later, with her attempt also landing to the left of the goal.
In the 80th minute, Boyer created an opportunity, accelerating in front of the Wildcats’ backline, and attempted to pass it to Cormack in the box, but Cormack was just a tad too late, as it was booted away.
After a foul on Hunter in the 81st minute, a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review was needed to determine if a penalty kick was needed. After review, the Ducks avoided giving up their fourth penalty kick in three games. For context, the previous three penalty kicks awarded to Oregon opponents in the past couple of games have all resulted in goals. Keira Wagner took the awarded free kick for the Wildcats, but couldn’t connect with any of her teammates, with Oregon escaping Northwestern’s strongest chance at putting one in the back of the net in the second half.
In the 84th minute, a yellow card was awarded to Kemmerley after tripping up Cormack. Off the set piece, Jayde Holley couldn’t find another Duck to make the most of the opportunity, with the ball sailing out of bounds.
Northwestern’s final offensive push came in the 87th minute, with O’Donnell giving the Wildcats their best look at scoring in the game. O’Donnell lifted the ball just over the head of Goldstein and the crossbar, with Oregon fans giving a sigh of relief.
Oregon’s final offensive push came in the 90th and final minute of the match, with a set-piece opportunity coming off the boot of Holley, but her shot landed right in the hands of Nelson, protecting the goal.
“Our strikers were a little more active,” Joyner said. “In terms of anticipating either clearances, balls on the line from Jayde Holley, and our ball movement was a little bit better.”
The Ducks will look to record their first win in seven games in West Lafayette, Ind., as they take on Purdue on Sept. 25, with kickoff set for 4:00 p.m. PDT.