By Mario Ponce

In a dramatic defensive battle, the Oregon Ducks soccer team  lost 1-0 to the Washington Huskies in Papé Field. The Ducks went into this game in the midst of a tough season, with a record of 0-14-2 and a streak of 8 losses. The team had lost its previous game at Stanford to the Cardinal 2-0 but looked to bounce back against a major rival. The Huskies went into the game with a 7-5-2 record after tying at home to the Colorado Buffaloes 1-1. 

The Huskies started out aggressively in the game, controlling the ball for most of the first half and getting many shots on the Oregon goal. The Ducks adjusted defensively and kept their net clean, but couldn't get much done on offense as the Washington midfielders erected an impenetrable wall. The host's best chances came through a couple of breakaway counter attacks but they just couldn't find a way through to the net, and a foul late in the half gave the visitors the clearest shot of the first 45. Only the crossbar kept the ball from going in and the half ended 0-0.

The second half started with a similar pattern to the first. The Huskies went on the attack immediately and put pressure on Duck keeper Maddy Goldberg right from the start. Many Washington shots sailed wide and kept the score 0-0. In the 63rd minute everything seemed to change as the Huskies put a ball in the net, but the goal was disallowed on a narrow offsides call. What ensued was a physical slugfest as the teams traded shots. The best chance for the Ducks in the second half came in the 74th minute, but the ball didn't go in. The only goal of the match came in the 87th minute by Husky midfielder Tatum Thomason, who scored from a deflection from a save by Goldberg. The Ducks kept attacking but couldn't score and the game ended 1-0 to Washington. 

With the loss, the Ducks fall to 0-15-2 in the season. The team is over 50% freshmen and plays in a tough conference, so the record doesn't tell the full story of the play of the team. The Ducks played well defensively and if they had a bit more luck, perhaps the result could have been different. The Huskies won but were very ineffective offensively, shooting 32 times but only 5 of those on target. Still, soccer is a game of margins and with the win the team's record is now 8-5-2. Both teams play on Sunday. Oregon hosts the Washington State Cougars in the last home game of their season, and Washington goes to Corvallis to face the Oregon State Beavers.