Sports

After a stop back home last week, the No. 9-ranked Thurston Colts (8-1) headed back on the road to take on the No. 8-ranked Churchill Lancers (4-3) at Churchill High School with a 7:00 p.m. kickoff on Friday.

With time winding down in the first half and the score knotted at zero, Thurston and junior quarterback Emmit Distefano were chipping their way down the field, hunting for the first score of the defensive showcase. Around the 50-yard line, Distefano took the snap but was met with heavy pressure immediately. He rolled right, scanned and hurled the ball while being smothered, down the field and somehow found the leaping senior tight end Payton Ferriera. 

The muscly tight end vaulted the shoulders of the smaller cornerback, snagged the ball, then held on as the traveling Thurston fans roared in excitement. This would only lead to a field goal to make it 3-0, but it sparked the scoring and eventually led to the 27-16 Colts victory.

Leading the way for…

EUGENE, Ore. - When a goalkeeper records over 6,705 career minutes in goal – good for second in the NCAA – fans might expect to see some high-level protection around the net. For Oregon women’s soccer (2-10-4, 0-6-3 Big Ten), sixth-year senior Caeley Goldstein has stepped into that role.

Thursday night at Pape Field saw the Ducks fall to the No. 15 Wisconsin Badgers (12-3-1, 6-2-1 Big Ten) by a final score of 1-0. Despite the outcome, Goldstein put on a standout performance in front of the home crowd with five saves on 14 shots and six shots on goal from the Badgers.  

“We were super organized defensively,” Goldstein said. “We shut down a lot of opportunities, especially for a ranked team, so I’m proud of our defensive shape and organization.”

Despite the offensive struggles Oregon has faced this season – third to last place in the Big Ten in total goals – Goldstein has managed to keep the Ducks competitive with her defense. Against the Badgers, she…

EUGENE, Ore. - Looking to upset at home and secure its first win since late August, Oregon women’s soccer (2-10-4, 0-6-3 Big Ten) fought hard against the No. 15 Wisconsin Badgers (12-3-1, 6-2-1 Big Ten) at Papé Field on Stomp Out Cancer Night. However, the Ducks couldn’t work the magic, as they fell 1-0 to the Badgers on a chilly night.

“I think we continue to show up against really quality teams,” Oregon head coach Tracy Joyner said postgame. “It just goes to show our mentality that we want to be in every game that we’re going to work for results.”

Wisconsin got the first shot of the game in the fifth minute, off the boot of Ashley Martinez, before it landed directly in the gloves of Oregon goalkeeper Caeley Goldstein.

Oregon got its offensive momentum going in the 15th minute, with Addisen Boyer making a break for it, before it was tapped out of bounds by the Badgers, giving the Ducks a corner. Off the corner, Ella Osmussen was able to take a contested shot, but…

Cascade Clash volleyball returned to Matthew Knight Arena on Sunday as the Washington Huskies (8-8, 3-3 Big Ten) made the five-hour drive down south to play the bitter rival Oregon Ducks (11-5, 2-4 Big Ten).

Down to their last chance in the third set, the Ducks were trailing 28-27 and 2-0 in the match. Washington sailed the serve over the net and Oregon bumped and set for freshman outside hitter Maria Tabacuks. She leapt for the spike, but was met at the apex and blocked by Husky junior middle blocker Katy Wessels and senior outside hitter Alexa Markley. Washington stormed the court in celebration after upsetting its Pacific Northwest foe.

“So much about this match was we’re being tested by some good teams that can play a little bit and that can expose you,” Oregon head coach Trent Kerston said. “We’re not where we need to be volleyball-wise. Credit Washington for exposing us on our tip defense and a couple other phases of the game that are just not good enough to win…

EUGENE, Ore. – Fresh off an intense road win in double overtime vs Penn State, the mood of No. 3 Oregon (5-1, 2-1 Big Ten) turned sour when it suffered a 30-20 loss at the hands of No. 7 Indiana (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten) Saturday afternoon at Autzen Stadium. The Ducks’ defeat marked just the seventh overall loss in the head coaching career of Dan Lanning (40-7) and now only his second in front of the Autzen faithful, the other coming in 2022 when Oregon fell 37-34 to rival Washington. 

“They played a better game than us. They were better coached than us today, and our guys recognize that every one of our goals is still in front of us and an opportunity to attack,” Lanning said after the game.

The hype around Saturday’s contest had been seemingly building for the past week when ESPN’s College Gameday announced it would be making a third trip to Eugene in the last four years and the 13th overall in the show’s history. The writing was on the wall for the makings of a good…

As the aura of gameday filled the University of Oregon’s campus and the city of Eugene. The strength of the fanbase continues to flock together, proving why it’s one of the most infectious college football towns in the United States. 

The visiting No.7-ranked Indiana Hoosiers (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten) upset No.3-ranked Oregon Ducks (5-1, 3-1 Big Ten) 30-20 in Autzen Stadium. As the entire country set its eyes on the most anticipated game of the weekend, featuring two top-10 teams, the story throughout the game was how the Ducks responded to adversity.  

It never rains in Autzen Stadium, but on Saturday, it did. Wet weather was on the horizon, but it was the downpour from quarterback Fernando Mendoza and the Hoosiers’ offense that caused issues across the field for the Ducks’ defense. 

After leading the Ducks in tackles against Indiana, linebacker Bryce Boettcher acknowledged the lack of production from the defensive side of the ball and what comes…

The spotlight beamed on the seniors of the No. 15-ranked Thurston High School football team as the Colts hosted their final home game of the regular season against the No. 7-ranked Crater Comets.

With seven minutes remaining in the third quarter, Thurston was in full control, up 24-0 and driving. Around the Comets’ 15-yard line, junior quarterback Emmit Distefano lobbed a pass to the back right of the endzone. Senior tight end Rylan Sharp located the ball, turned and climbed the ladder while keeping his feet in for the score. The crowd erupted as the dagger was put into the Comets’ hearts. The Colts continued to cruise to a 44-7 victory, sending Sharp and the rest of the senior class off with one last regular-season home win.

“I was so proud of Rylan for going up and getting that ball,” Thurston head coach Justin Starck said. “He’s super tall, so he’s a mismatch and just couldn’t be more happy for him at that moment.”

Sophomore cornerback Bentlee Davenport also…

COTTAGE GROVE, Ore. - After a difficult league opener against Junction City, Cottage Grove football (1-4, 0-1 league) returned to Don King Field for homecoming weekend against Philomath (3-2, 0-1 league). The Lions were looking to break a five-game losing streak in 4A league play, as well as get their first-ever win against the Warriors.

A gritty, powerful rushing attack allowed the Lions to keep themselves in the game and end the first half down 7-6. But that would be the only scoring Cottage Grove would do, as the Warriors scored 26 unanswered to finish the game 33-6, getting their first league win of the year.

“As I’m entering the locker room, I’m disappointed,” Cottage Grove head coach Stephen Turner said. “We played a hell of a first half… they’re a big play team and that’s what beat us was big plays.”

In the first quarter, a series of bruising runs from sophomore running back Jacob Palluck got the Lions all the way down to the Philomath 11, but senior…

Welcome To The KWVA Sports Newsletter!

This is the first edition of our newsletter that will keep you up to date about what the KWVA Sports department is doing and what broadcasts we have coming up.

We are the student radio station at the campus of the University of Oregon. We serve as the flagship station for Oregon Ducks volleyball, softball, soccer and lacrosse, and we provide talent for television sports broadcasts on Big Ten Plus. Our sports department produces detailed game and feature stories, in-depth talk shows, and broadcasts of live events. 

This newsletter will keep you in the loop about what our sports department is up to, with updates coming every month. We’ll highlight our seasonal voices for various teams and include behind-the-scenes action of what our crew is up to throughout the year.

KWVA Sports’ Fall Season Now Underway

Our sports staff has been hard at work bringing you coverage for local…

The energy in Matthew Knight Arena was electric Friday night as the Ducks stepped onto their home floor for the first time in 26 days. In a five-set nail-biter, the student section roared as junior outside hitter Valentina Vaulet fired the ball onto the floor and sealed the win for Oregon. The hard-fought final set ended by a score of 19-17.

“I really want to talk about our crowd and our student section,” head coach Trent Kersten said. “That was so awesome, and we needed every single one of them that were here...It was such a great volleyball environment, and I was so grateful that everyone gave their time to watch our team play.”

While the home crowd definitely takes partial credit for the Ducks' win, the team's ability to stick together through adversity and come out on top is telling of just how far they can go. 

Even though it wasn’t the prettiest win, Oregon was still able to get the job done by sticking to what they knew. 

“I feel like it’s…