Written by Mario Ponce

The winless Oregon Ducks will take on the Washington Huskies on Thursday night at Papé Field, after their tough 2-0 loss to the fifth ranked Stanford Cardinal. In that game, Cardinal midfielder Jasmine Aikey had a good performance, scoring the game's opening goal in the 8th minute and assisting Kennedy Wesley, who scored the second goal in the 76th minute. A positive for the Ducks is that sophomore goalie Maddy Goldberg made history, tying the program's save record with 15 in the game.

Oregon:

The Ducks have a record of 0-14-2, with both ties in non-conference away games. This gives them zero conference standing points. The team has a streak of eight consecutive losses. The key for this next game is to improve on the defensive front, as they have conceded 43 goals this season while only scoring seven. This gives them a goal difference of -36, highlighted by an 8-1 loss to California last week. If they can do this, they can make some momentum to score more goals, and hopefully not end the season winless. There are three games remaining in the season: this game, Sunday's home closer against the Washington State Cougars and then the last game of the season up north in Corvallis against the Oregon State Beavers on November 3rd.

Washington:

The Huskies have a 7-5-4 record and eight conference standing points. They tied the Colorado Buffaloes at home 1-1 last Sunday, and before that beat the Utah Utes 3-1. The key for Washington is to improve in conference play, as they have struggled with effectiveness in Pac-12 play. Their goal differential is +5, as they have scored 28 goals and conceded 23 this season. The Huskies have three games remaining: this game, a Sunday match in Corvallis against the Oregon State Beavers and senior night at home, also on November 3rd.

Prediction:

This season has been tough for the Ducks, and though there were positive trends in the last game with the 17 saves, I still think the Huskies will win this game. Washington has momentum and Oregon does not, and in soccer this matters. I don't expect a blowout, but I think the visitors have a slight edge coming into this game.

Final score: 3-1 Washington