Oregon soccer’s four-game winning streak was snapped Sunday afternoon in a 1-0 defeat at the hands of the UC Irvine Anteaters.

The Anteaters scored the only goal of the match in the 37th minute. Grayson Galbraith sent a header into the net after a corner from teammate Reema Bzeih to give her team the lead.

The Ducks were unable to battle back. In addition to losing their winning streak, the match was also the first time all season that the Ducks failed to outshoot their opponents. UC Irvine’s outshot the Ducks 10-3 and outshot the Ducks 14-9 at the conclusion of the game.

The Ducks will look to rebound Friday, when they take on the Montana Grizzlies at Papé Field.

Follow Aaron Alter on Twitter @aaronalter95

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In his three years with the Oregon Ducks, Charles Nelson has been all over the field — literally. Previous to his role as a receiver, Nelson played safety in 2015, and has been one of the Ducks’ primary return men since his freshman season.

While his days of playing on the defensive side of the ball are behind him, Nelson enters 2017 as the Ducks’ starting punt returner. Looking at his stats, it’s not hard to see why. He’s amassed 2,173 yards and a pair of touchdowns on kick returns, and 302 yards and two more touchdowns on punts. He can run a 4.37 second 40-yard dash, and was one of NFL.com’s most versatile college players three years running. He’s a player that coaches love to have on a roster.

“With Charles, he’s used in all aspects,” special teams coach Raymond Woodie said. “It’s our job to get the ball in his hands. If the scheme is right, we expect for him to make plays on special teams and offense too. It’s exciting to have a player like that.”

For his part, Nelson is ready to fill whatever role his team needs.

“It’s something I like to do,” Nelson said of his return duties. “But we’ll see how Coach Taggart wants it. I know he wants me to have some breaks on some special teams. Right now I’m in the one and two [special teams] rotations, so we’ll see how it goes.”

It’s a pretty selfless approach for a player who slots in as his team’s top receiving and return threat. It shows in his play as well. In the Ducks’ season opener against Southern Utah, Nelson showed that he’s not just looking to make highlights on his returns. He knew when to call for fair catches rather than risking a fumble or big hit.

Decisions like that may not jump off the stat sheet like a touchdown, but they’re a crucial part of a strong return game.

As a senior with the potential to play professionally, it wouldn’t be shocking if Nelson devoted all of his attention to his own play. After all, playing with two units that your teammates and future career depend on is a lot to handle. Yet Nelson remains a team player. Amidst his duties, he always finds time to work with the Ducks’ young receivers.

“I just want to see them do great,” Nelson said. “I still do the same things that I usually do, I’m just more focused on these guys and helping them do what they do.”

In the world of college football, there are very few certainties. Depth charts and positions can always shift. Oregon is no exception to this rule.

Just don’t be surprised to see Nelson streaking into the end zone off of a punt return.

Follow Aaron Alter on Twitter @aaronalter95

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The Oregon women’s soccer team picked up another win Friday night, defeating the Idaho Vandals 1-0.

It was Marissa Everett who put the Ducks up in the 59th minute. Streaking up the field, Everett took a give and go from Abby Morrow and Chardonnay Curran and fired it into the back of the net.

“I’m ecstatic, to get a goal to put my team ahead,” Everett said. “I just want to get more.”

Despite the final score, the Ducks dominated much of the game. They outshot the Vandals 12-6 but were simply unable to convert most of their chances. It was the fourth consecutive game in which the Ducks outshot their competition.

Equally dominant was the Ducks’ defensive effort. Goalkeeper Halla Hinriksdottir had three saves, good for her third clean sheet of the season.

The Ducks’ offense got started early, with Jessica Yu, Jayne Lydiatt and Kyra Fawcett all getting off shots by the 25th minute. The team’s best chances came in the closing minutes of the half. After a foul outside the Idaho box, Marissa Everett stepped up for a free kick in almost the exact same position she scored from against Kansas State.

Everett took her initial shot before the referee gave his whistle, giving her a second chance at a goal. Idaho keeper Makayla Presgrave was prepared and she made the save.

The Ducks didn’t wait long to attack again, and it was none other than Idaho transfer Emma Eddy who brought the pressure with two more shots on goal in the 42nd and 44th minute. While she didn’t net a goal facing her former team, it was a unique experience.

“It was nice to see everyone; it was little weird,” Eddy said. “But it was fun, I liked seeing people.”

Despite the win, Mertz knows her team can always get better.

“Defensively in our midfield, we need to sharpen up a little bit,” Mertz said. “We need to keep them in on one side, and also figure out how to break up a 4-4-2. If we can solve that, it’ll be a good game on Sunday.”

Next up, the Ducks will look to extend their winning streak to five against the UC Irvine Anteaters at Papé field on Sunday, September 10.

Follow Aaron Alter on Twitter @aaronalter95

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The Oregon Ducks soccer team defeated the Cal Poly Mustangs 2-1 on Sunday in Boise, Idaho, improving their record to 3-1 on the season.

Oregon won both games on the weekend after beating Oklahoma 1-0 on Friday.

The Ducks struck early. In the ninth minute, Jayne Lydiatt scored off of an assist from Marissa Everett to give her team a 1-0 lead.

Everett finds Lydiatt from a free kick and it’s 1-0 @OregonSoccer in the 9th minute. pic.twitter.com/CdwWGC5WYs

— Shawn Medow (@ShawnMedow) September 3, 2017

In the 34th minute, Kyra Fawcett scored her second goal of the Boise tournament to put the Ducks up 2-1. This time, it was Lydiatt who provided the assist.

The Mustangs hit back in the 44th minute, with the goal coming from Jessica Johnson.

When the teams returned in the second half, they battled to a stalemate. Despite allowing their first goal in two games, Ducks goalkeeper Halla Hinriksdottir and her defensive line held the Mustangs scoreless for the remainder of the game.

The Ducks once again outshot their opponents, this time by a count of 19-16.

Oregon will be back at Papé Field on Friday, September 8th to face the Idaho Vandals.

Follow Aaron Alter on Twitter @aaronalter95

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The No. 14 Oregon Ducks concluded the 2017 Oregon Classic with a dominant win, defeating the Northern Illinois Huskies 3-0 on Saturday at Matt Knight Arena.

The game was a stark change from the Ducks’ Friday night nail-biter against Loyola Marymount. The Ducks were dominant from the first serve, cruising to a 25-12 victory in the first set while scoring nine of the first twelve points. The team never took its foot off the gas from there, winning the next two sets 25-15.

“I thought we executed much better,” head coach Matt Ulmer said. “We passed phenomenaly, which we struggled with last night. After set two, we were passing at .275. When we pass the ball well, our offense is going to be really hard to stop.”

Indeed, the Ducks played with momentum that the Huskies struggled to break. The Ducks notched seven blocks and never allowed Northern Illinois to score more than three consecutive points. They were equally dominant with their service, posting eight aces to the Huskies one.

Junior outside hitter Lindsey Vander Weide was instrumental in the Ducks’ victory, delivering a team-high 14 kills. She also added two of the team’s aces, with one coming on the final point of set one.

“She can really doubt herself sometimes, which boggles my mind because she’s so good” Ulmer said. “It was just nice to see her when she kinda got down on herself a little bit, she perked right back up and we got going. She does so many things for us — that’s why she’s an All-American.”

Ronika Stone and Willow Johnson were also central to the Ducks’ winning effort. They contributed seven and eight kills, respectively.

While happy with Oregon’s performance, Ulmer wasn’t letting the win distract from the improvements the team needs to make.

“There’s always things coaches don’t like,” Ulmer said. “Defensively, we still have to be more disciplined. Our vision has to get better, we have to see what’s going on, dig more balls.”

The Ducks will look to continue their winning streak against the Cal Poly Mustangs at Matthew Knight Arena on Thursday, September 7, at 10 a.m.

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The Oregon women’s soccer team defeated the Oklahoma Sooners 1-0 in Boise, Idaho on Friday, improving their record to 2-1 on the season.

The Ducks’ lone goal came in the 89th minute. After missing the team’s last match, it was Kyra Fawcett who put her team up. Miranda Schulz was credited with the assist.

While the Ducks ultimately emerged victorious, they were unable to convert on scoring chances for most of the match. Despite outshooting the Sooners 16-7, the lack of scoring from the Ducks kept their opponents in the game.

The game was another dominant performance from the Ducks’ defense. A trio of saves from goalkeeper Halla Hinriksdottir helped her collect her second clean sheet of the season. Defenders Alyssa Hinojosa and Michelle Rockey led the defensive line and played all 90 minutes of the match.

Next up, the Ducks will face the Cal-Poly Mustangs at 10:00 AM in Boise this Sunday.

Follow Aaron Alter on Twitter @aaronalter95 

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For most of his career, Oregon offensive line coach Mario Cristobal was coaching or playing on dominant offensive lines.

“I’ve been spoiled,” Cristobal said. “I played at Miami when it was the best team in the country, coached there when it was the best team in the country. I spent some time at Alabama … even our offensive line at Rutgers was underestimated.”

Now Cristobal is working to bring the Ducks into that group.

In 2016, the Ducks’ offensive line was not up to Oregon’s standard. With veteran Tyrell Crosby lost to injury after the Nebraska game, the line was manned by freshmen with little to no game experience. One of those starters was Calvin Throckmorton. Now, with a year of play under his belt, Throckmorton thinks Cristobal’s coaching is bringing out the best in the team.

“It’s an intensity that I’ve never seen matched by anybody else before,” Throckmorton said. “He’s pushing us to be the best we can be, and not accepting anything less than that.”

According to Crosby, that intensity isn’t just for show.

“He’s not there just to scream at you,” Crosby said. “He wants to see you improve and get better each day.”

Coming to the Pac-12 from the Southeastern Conference is a big switch. The perception is that the SEC is tough, and runs hard-nosed, smash-mouth football. The Pac-12 is seen as favoring spread offenses and passing attacks.

While neither is entirely true, Cristobal has certainly imported  grit, a factor that Oregon lacked last season. A major part of his technique is imbeding a sense of toughness in all elements of his line’s play, regardless of scheme.

Oregon Ducks offensive line coach and co-offensive coordinator Mario Cristobal gives instruction to one of his players. The Oregon Ducks hold practice during their spring season at the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex practice fields in Eugene, Ore. on Friday April 21, 2017. (Aaron Nelson/Emerald)

“We have a little bit of everything,” Cristobal said. “Every single one of them requires physicality.”

Cristobal also rejects the idea that certain schemes are inherently soft or less aggressive.

“Zone football is sometimes mistaken for sideways football,” Cristobal said. “We have the opposite mentality. We want to knock you back.”

For Oregon, the success of the offense hinges on star running back Royce Freeman, and starting quarterback Justin Herbert. Neither can excel without a strong offensive line, a fact that Cristobal’s players are keenly aware of.

“They’ve got the right O-line mentality,” Cristobal said. “We’re here to serve. We’re here to protect, to break holes in the line of scrimmage, and not worry about any tad bit of recognition.

There is no ‘my bad.’ My bad is the quarterback getting checked into Slocum for some kind of examination. We don’t tread on that world.”

At the end of the day, the vision of head coach Willie Taggart is at the core of what drives Cristobal.

“He’s got a great plan and he’s got a great philosophy,” Cristobal said. “We all are in it 1,000 percent.”

In turn, Cristobal’s players have bought in 100 percent to his system.

“We all trust him,” Crosby said. “Anything he says, we’ll do without hesitation. We believe in him and what he’s telling us.”

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The Eugene Emeralds defeated the Boise Hawks 3-1 on Tuesday night, continuing their late season surge.

The victory thrust the Emeralds into the Northwest League playoff picture. As of Tuesday night, the team holds a playoff berth, and with 11 games left, the Ems will need to close out the season strong to hold their current position.

“We’re just going to have to keep doing the same thing,” Emeralds manager Jesus Feliciano said. “We’re gonna keep playing one game at a time.”

The game started on a rough note for the Emeralds with pitcher Jose Albertos surrendering a run off of a wild pitch in the first inning. With runners on first and third, however, Albertos regained his composure, and got his team out of the jam.

“I knew he was capable of doing it,” Feliciano said. “He’s had a lot of quality outings, and tonight wasn’t any exception. He wasn’t able to control his changeup in that first inning, but he got his other pitches in there.”

The Emeralds struck back in the bottom of the second inning. With two runners on, Jose Gonzalez launched a fly ball to deep center field. Hawks center fielder Steven Linkous was unable to corral it, leading to a two-run triple.

Albertos went on to defend his team’s lead by pitching well through the fifth inning. For the second night in a row, Boise was simply unable to generate any offense.

In the bottom of the fifth, the Emeralds tacked on another run. A wild pitch from Garrett Schilling brought Jhonny Bethencourt across the plate, giving the Ems a 3-1 lead.

Keegan Thompson came in to replace Albertos in the top of the sixth inning, and went on to pitch three more flawless innings. Luis Aquino took the mound in ninth inning, and promptly clinched a victory for his team.

While the victory held playoff implications, getting a win with the Chicago Cubs 2016 World Series trophy in the stadium was a special moment for the team.

“It was awesome,” Feliciano said. “This was a unique thing for the fans and players, and I think it was one of the best nights of the year.”

Next up, the Emeralds will face the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes at PK Park at 7:05 p.m. on Wednesday.

Follow Aaron Alter on Twitter @aaronalter95

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The Eugene Emeralds delivered a commanding performance Monday night, defeating the Boise Hawks 6-0 in a one-sided affair.

With the season approaching its end, the win was key for the Ems. The team has twelve more regular season games, sits two games back of first-place Hillsboro Hops and it is one game out of a playoff spot.

The Ems (32-32) offense was hot out of the gate. In the first inning, Jhonny Bethencourt sent a hard ground ball into left field, bringing Zach Davis home. After a single from Miguel Amaya, Bethencourt went home, giving the Ems a 2-0 lead.

Bailey Clark delivered a flawless performance, pitching five scoreless innings. It was one of his best outings of the season, and one that left Ems manager Jesus Feliciano impressed.

“We needed it,” Feliciano said. “This game was a must win.”

The Ems struck again in the third inning. With Bethencourt on third, Hawks pitcher Alec Byrd threw a wild pitch, so Bethencourt scored again and the Ems held a commanding 3-0 lead.

The Ems weren’t finished. With two outs, Austin Filiere ripped a line drive single into left field, bringing Bethencourt home for his third run of the game.

“The last couple of weeks, they had been pretty rough for me,” Bethencourt said. “To come out tonight and play well, it felt pretty great.”

With the Ems up 4-0, Rollie Lacy replaced Clark in the sixth inning. Fortunately for the Ems, he picked up right where Clark left off. The combination of lights-out pitching and strong defensive play continued to stifle the Hawks’ bats.

In the bottom of the eight the Ems reminded everyone present that despite their lead, the game was not over yet. Jose Gonzalez drove a line drive into left field to score two more runs.

Up 6-0, Rollie Lacy took the mound once again and shut down the Hawks for good.

“I think this is great timing, for us to play the way we played tonight,” Feliciano said. “Hopefully we can make a push for the playoffs.”

The Emeralds will look to continue their playoff push at PK Park on Tuesday night at 7:05 p.m against Boise.

Follow Aaron Alter on Twitter @aaronalter95

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The Oregon women’s soccer team defeated the Kansas State Wildcats 2-0 at Papé Field on Sunday, moving the Ducks to 1-1 on the season.

Junior Marissa Everett scored both goals for Oregon, one on each side of halftime. She scored one goal all of last season and four in her freshman year in 2015.

The Ducks were dominant out of the gate, taking 12 shots on goal to the Wildcats’ two. The game remained scoreless until the 23rd minute.

A Kansas State foul gave the Ducks a free kick at the top of the box, and Everett stepped up to take it. She proceeded to curl the ball into the upper right corner, where Kansas State goalkeeper Miranda Larkin was unable to reach it. It was a perfectly placed shot, and one that Everett knew she was ready to take.

“I’ve been practicing that all summer,” Everett said. “It was nice to finally be able to show it in a game.”

The Ducks held the Wildcats at bay, and entered the second half with a 1-0 lead.

In the 49th minute, Everett struck again. Taking the ball at midfield, she dribbled through and around the Wildcats’ defense. From 20 yards out, she fired a low shot into the corner of the net to widen the Ducks’ lead to 2-0.

“When I got dribbling, I kinda just only saw the goal,” Everett said. “I just beelined right to it.”

The goal also made Everett one of only 31 players in Oregon history to notch a multi-goal game. The Ducks wouldn’t score again, but held the Wildcats scoreless, giving the team its first win of the 2017 season.

While Everett scored the goals, she was far from the only Duck with a strong performance. Freshman Chardonnay Curran didn’t manage a goal, but her combination of speed and footwork gave the Wildcats’ defense constant trouble. Also impressive was Jessica Yu, whose hard, physical play led to three shots on goal.

Perhaps the most striking aspect of the Ducks’ performance was that of their defense. Their back line had struggled against North Carolina State, allowing four goals.

“We knew we had to bounce back from the last game defensively,” sophomore defender Alyssa Hinojosa said. “We want to defend Oregon, we want to show everyone that this is our field.”

Kansas State only managed to get off five shots. Hinojosa was instrumental in the stifling performance, playing the full 90 minutes and constantly shutting down the Wildcats’ attempts to level the game. Making the defense’s performance even more impressive was the fact that they were without redshirt senior and captain Caitlyn Wong, one of the key pieces of their back line. While Wong didn’t take the field, her presence was very much felt by her teammates.

“I tried to listen to her, she’s a really big role model for me,” Hinojosa said. “I thought the coaches were yelling at me, but it was my teammate helping me and having my back.”

For Ducks head coach Kat Mertz, the day’s performance was exactly what the team worked on after the NC State game.

“We challenged to be a little grittier, to come out with some energy,” Mertz said. “Getting 20-odd some shots and two goals, and none against? It’s awesome.”

Mertz was also happy with Everett’s two-goal performance, though not surprised.

“That’s the Marissa we know at practice,” Mertz said. “For her, it’s just  going out there and having fun. That’s the biggest component for her. When she’s enjoying it, having fun with her teammates, she really shines on the field.”

Going into a three-game stretch of road games, maintaining that performance will be key for the Ducks in the coming games.

Next up for Oregon is a trip to College Station, Texas, where they will face the Texas A&M Aggies on August 26th.

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