The Oregon men’s club soccer team completed a near perfect season with a win at the NIRSA National Championship in Phoenix, Arizona on Nov. 21.
The Ducks defeated UC Davis in the championship match thanks to a game-winning golden goal in overtime by forward Andrew Saenz.
They trailed 2-1 late in the match before forward Henry Fassinger buried a penalty kick to send the match to overtime. Senior defender Zach Donner netted the Ducks’ first goal to get them on the board in the first half.
Saenz scored a team-high 10 goals during the tournament, recorded a hat-trick in two different matches, and was named tournament MVP. Saenz, Donner and Fassinger were all named to the all-tournament team.
Oregon defeated the University of Texas B team (2-0), Colorado State University Pueblo (4-0), and University of Connecticut (3-1) in the group stage and outscored its opponents 9-1 in that span.
The Ducks then ousted Stony Brook in the quarterfinal thanks to goals by Saenz and forward Ian Malony and the following day, Saenz bagged a hat-trick and Malony added another goal as the Ducks defeated Utah Valley University in the semifinal.
This season will end as one of the most successful in team history.