— Defensive lineman Eddie Heard has pleaded “not guilty” to misdemeanor charges of harassment and assault after being arrested for an incident that took place outside of Taylor’s Bar and Grill in the early morning of Oct. 30th. He has been suspended indefinitely from the team.

— After Oregon practice on Thursday, head coach Mark Helfrich said the Ducks have remained positive throughout their ups and downs this season.

— Oregon track and field announced its 2017 schedule on Thursday. The Ducks trimmed their normal spring offerings due to the major renovation schedule for Hayward Field. The Ducks will host the Pac-12 Track and Field Championships May 13-14 and NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships on June 7-10.

— Justin Herbert was named Manning Award Quarterback of the Week on Thursday after passing for 489 yards against ASU.

— Dillon Brooks became the first Duck in program history to earn preseason All-American team for men’s basketball. He led the team in 2015-16 in scoring, averaging 16.7 points per game. Oregon enters this season ranked No. 5 nationally.

— Men’s golf lost its final tournament of the season at East Lake Cup in Atlanta, Georgia. Illinois defeated Oregon 3-2 in the match play championship.

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The Ducks had an impressive weekend at the Georgia State Invitational, sweeping in doubles play and winning all but one match in singles. Freshman Julia Eshet delivered a perfect performance for the team.

Eshet was a strong recruit for Oregon this year and has been living up to the hype ever since. Along with her partner Marlou Kluiving, the two advanced to the quarterfinals at the ITA Northwest Regional Championships, which is the farthest an Oregon doubles pair has gone in regional play since 2003.

This weekend, Eshet went 2-for-2 in singles matches and teamed up with Kluiving to go 3-for-3 in doubles.

The Georgia State Invitational included teams from Oregon, Georgia State, Middle Tennessee and Furman. The Ducks swept day one with doubles wins from Alyssa Tobita and Shweta Sangwan and Daniela Nasser and Nia Rose. All six Oregon players won in singles matches.

During day two, the Ducks swept in doubles matches and went 5-1 in singles play. The pair of Sangwan and Tobita defeated Middle Tennessee 6-2, while Eshet and Kluiving and Rose and Nasser both won by finals of 6-2.

In singles play, Tobita, Kluiving, Eshet and Nasser each won in two sets, while Rose won in three. Only Sangwan lost in two sets to Damira Muminovic.

The Ducks were perfect on day three after a sweep of singles matches. They went 6-0 against Furman, with all matches being won in two sets.

Overall, the Ducks went 17-1 in singles play and were undefeated in doubles, finishing 26-1. They now head to Los Angeles for the Jack Kramer Club Collegiate Invite.

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**Correction: A previous version of this article stated Oregon must win its final two games to qualify for the postseason, when in fact the Ducks can still clinch a postseason berth with a win and a tie in their final two games.**

The Ducks dropped a critical game to the Washington Huskies 2-1 on Thursday at Husky Stadium. Thursday’s loss was the last that the Ducks can allow to earn an NCAA Tournament berth.

Both teams came into Thursday’s game with similar records: the Huskies (6-10-1, 1-7 Pac-12) and the Ducks (8-9-1, 2-7).

Washington struck first, with Kimberly Keever scoring in the 21st minute against Oregon’s freshman goalkeeper Katelyn Carter.

Carter started the game in place of injured Halla Hinriksdottir, who came out of last Thursday’s game after colliding with an Arizona player outside of the goal. Carter played all 90 minutes against Washington and had two saves. Her personal record is now 5-3-1.

Junior Abby Morrow and sophomore Marissa Everett had two shots each, while senior Marlo Sweatman added two.

Sweatman tied the game in the 72nd minute, scoring her second goal of the season. The Ducks now have 25 goals on the season, which is the most in program history since 2010.

Washington came back quickly, with Becca Schoales scoring in the 77th minute on an assist from Shaye Villamueva. The final score remained 2-1.

“We’re disappointed in tonight’s result, but I’m proud of our effort tonight,” head coach Kat Mertz said in a news release. “We fought hard to equalize the game.”

The Ducks only have two more games of the regular season, at Washington State on Sunday and at home against Oregon State next Friday. They must win both games or win one and tie the other in order to qualify for postseason contention.

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Oregon women’s tennis kicks off its season today in Stanford, California, in what will be one of many road trips on deck for the 2016-17 season.

The Ducks will compete in the Northwest Regional Championships along with fellow Pac-12 teams California, Washington and Washington State. Six Ducks — Marlou Kluiving, Nia Rose, Alyssa Tobita, Daniela Nasser, Shweta Sangwan and Julia Eshet — of the team’s seven players will participate.

Following Stanford, the Ducks will travel to Atlanta, Los Angeles and Spokane, Washington, before returning to compete in Eugene in January. After that, they will make three more appearances at home.

Head coach Alison Silverio is confident in her team’s progress and work ethic heading into the new season.

“Our girls have been working so hard; it’s going to be fun to see them compete against outside competition, and see them raise their level even more,” she said in a news release.

Silverio has had an impressive track record since joining the Ducks two seasons ago. In 2016, she lead her team to the program’s best start since 2004, while the Ducks maintained a ranking for all 15 weeks of the season. The Ducks jumped to No. 28 at one point, the highest ranking for the program since 2005.

Silverio is also known for bringing in talented recruits, which this year included high-school standout Julia Eshet. She was ranked No. 5 in the state of Florida and No. 35 nationally, according to TennisRecruiting.net.

Eshet is the only freshman on the seven-woman roster. Nasser and Sangwan are both sophomores, Rose and Tobita are juniors,and Kluiving and Paloma Gomez are seniors.

“Alyssa (Tobita) and Shweta (Sangwan) are going to go in and really lead the way,” Silverio said of the doubles partners.

The two have already competed this year in the All American Tennis Championships where they just fell short of the Main Draw, losing to Virginia Tech (8-6). Last season, the Tobita and Sangwan individually earned 21 singles wins a piece.

Silverio spread out the levels of experience among her players, pairing Kluiving with Eshet and Rose with Nasser.

“[I’m excited] for the upperclassmen to just really step up, being leaders in every sense of the way,” Silverio said. “Not only leading in competition, but in preparation: during the match and after the match.”

Last season, the Ducks finished with an 11-11 record, going 113-95 in singles and 54-49 in doubles.

“This team is on a mission,” Silverio said about the upcoming season in the press release. “Our words have matched our actions prepping for the season and I’m really proud of that.”

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Oregon women’s soccer on Thursday snapped its seven-game losing streak with a 1-0 win over Arizona at Papé field.

The win the Ducks’ first victory since beginning Pac-12 play. Oregon now has a 7-8-1 record.

Redshirt senior Maryn Beutler scored the lone goal in the 31st minute of the match, unassisted. This was Beutler’s second goal of the season.

“I got it on the top 18,” Beutler reminisced. “I was going to hit it [the] first time, but then I decided to take a touch, and then I kind of split the defenders. I like that spot, that’s my spot.”

The Ducks finished with three shots on goal by Beutler, Kyra Fawcett and Jessica Yu. Oregon tallied seven corner kicks, while Arizona had eight shots on goal and 10 corner kicks.

After 79 minutes and six saves, Oregon goalkeeper Halla Hinriksdottir was forced to leave the game due to a collision while running out of the net to make a save. Head coach Kat Mertz could not confirm the severity of her injury, but said that they were being “cautious” due to some of Hinriksdottir’s prior injuries.

“She said [her save] was worth getting injured and I agree with her,” Mertz said.

Hinriksdottir still earned the win, making her individual record 3-6.

Freshman goalkeeper Katelyn Carter substituted for the final 11 minutes of the game, making two crucial saves off Arizona corner kicks.

“Katelyn Carter — big time for a freshman to come in under that pressure situation, and be able to do that,” Mertz said.

This win was crucial for the Ducks who still have their hearts set on reaching the NCAA women’s soccer tournament.

“We have four more games, and we win three of those, then we go to the tournament,” Beutler said. “It’s definitely something that we can do, and it’s definitely something we’re going to do.”

Mertz agreed that a shot at making is not unattainable.

“We need to take one game at a time,” she said. “I think if we can shoot for being .500, you have a chance.

“We’ve got four games left. I want to cherish every single one of them. I want to celebrate with the seniors, and I want to make sure that we end this season on a really positive note.”

Oregon returns to action on Sunday against Arizona State at 1 p.m.

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After shooting their best round of the Greenville Regional Preview on Tuesday, the Oregon women’s golf team snagged ninth place out of 16 competing teams, finishing at 72-over par.

Senior Cathleen Santoso, a Sydney, Australia native, tied for 20th place individually, finishing at 3-over 75. She paced the Ducks in the tournament, which included freshmen Amy Matsuoka (tied 26th), Brooke Hamilton (tied 32nd), Kathleen Scavo (tied 47th) and Petra Salko (tied 85th).

Santoso has had three consecutive top-20 finishes this season.

The final day of the tournament began with two holes of the second round that were not completed when play was halted due to darkness on Monday night.

The Ducks had the fifth best round of the day on Tuesday, finishing with 18-over 306. This pulled them up to ninth place after having a rocky start to the tournament.

“The course setup was extremely difficult; the hole locations were some of the toughest collectively I’ve seen in college golf,” head coach Ria Scott said in a news release. “Regardless, we still threw away some shots and lost to some teams we need to beat.”

The Ducks will now be preparing for the Nanea Pac-12 Preview on Oct. 24 and 25 in Kailua Kona, Hawaii. The trip will be the final chance for Oregon to compete this fall.

“I am confident that our team has the skills to compete at a very, very high level,” Scott said in the release. “We just need to do a better job of accessing that when it counts.”

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Just two seasons ago, the Oregon football team was competing in the national championship game against Ohio State under head coach Mark Helfrich.

Now, the Ducks have lost four consecutive games just six games into the season. They fell short against Nebraska, Colorado and Washington State before suffering a 70-21 blowout loss to No. 5 Washington.

“Certainly nobody draws this up,” Helfrich said in his post-Colorado press conference.

He publicly apologized to Oregon fans for the score of Saturday’s game against Washington. He has also said, “Anything that’s bad in this program is my responsibility.”

Helfrich said Tuesday that he and the program are keeping a level head.

“The same people that tell you you’re the greatest or the smartest or the best — which that’s probably not true — they also are the people that tell you you’re the bottom of the barrel, or whatever adjectives may be in there,” Helfrich said. “That’s not true either.”

Many University of Oregon students have voiced their disappointment in this season and debated about who is to blame. A GoFundMe account was comically set up with the intent of buying out Helfrich’s contract so that the Ducks could try their luck with a new head coach.

“[Helfrich] doesn’t recruit the players we need,” Oregon alum Ryan Langston said. “This one-year quarterback situation we have had the last two years just doesn’t work. I think a coaching change needs to happen, and that ultimately should be Helfrich.”

UO student Isaiah Patton agreed some changes might be in order.

“At some point you have to take pride in your performance,” Patton said. “Letting an opponent score 70 in Autzen just is not the Oregon way. Some changes should definitely be considered.”

Others have specific concerns about the future.

“I definitely think it’s time for a new head coach,” senior Dan Forbes said. “Someone who will shake things up, and really recruit.”

Still, some understood the complexity of such a large team and did not solely fault Helfrich.

“I don’t blame [Helfrich],” senior Jashrine Prasad said. “We have a transfer quarterback, our defense isn’t too strong, the pocket deteriorates too quickly; it’s just going to take some time.”

UO student Rachael Breen also attributes the Duck’s recent losses to more than just Helfrich’s coaching.

“At the beginning of the season, [Helfrich] definitely came out a little too ambitious, thinking as though we still had [Marcus] Mariota,” Breen said. “But I respect his decision to try to change things up and try a new quarterback. I also think that the primarily freshman line and defense is to blame.”

Helfrich has remained positive in his press conferences and made clear that he believes in his players even though they are “mentally struggling.”

“The biggest thing is just controlling us,” Helfrich said before the Washington game. “We are built around people and culture and character, and it’s times like these when you need that the most — not when the seas are calm and everything’s great. It’s times like these.”

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Oregon women’s soccer dropped its sixth game in a row on Sunday afternoon against Utah, losing 1-0 at the Ute Soccer Field.

The Ducks are now ranked second to last — only ahead of Oregon State — in the Pac-12 standings. The Ducks’ 2016 record, which was once their best since 1981, is now 6-7-1 (0-5-0 Pac-12).

Utah’s Hailey Skolmoski scored the lone goal against Oregon goalkeeper Halla Hinriksdottir in the 63rd minute. Skolmoski put the ball in from inside the box off of an assist by Katie Rogers.

Hinriksdottir has recently been named Oregon’s starting goalkeeper after competing for the spot with freshman Katelyn Carter. She has recorded three shutouts, but now has a personal record of 3-4-0.

Head coach Kat Mertz said that her team will be working on defensive details before their next match against California.

The Ducks gave themselves an ample number of opportunities offensively, finishing with 12 shots and nine corner kicks. Senior defender Ashlee Schulz attempted three shots on goal while sophomore midfielder Marissa Everett finished with two. Oregon’s current leader in scoring, Kira Fawcett, also had two shots.

“It was a good battle today by both teams,” Mertz said in a news release. “Unfortunately, we gave up a goal that could have been prevented.”

The Ducks still have six games of Pac-12 Conference play left in the season, and are looking to break their winless streak.

They host No. 18 California next Saturday at Papé Field. The Golden Bears sit second in the Pac-12 standings with a 11-2-1 overall record.

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The Oregon women’s soccer team split their road trip this weekend with a loss on Friday and a 1-0 win on Sunday against a 3-4-0 Cal State Fullerton team at Titans stadium. The Ducks now have a 6-1-1 record.

Sophomore Bayley Bruner scored the lone goal in the 43rd minute of the match, with assists from redshirt junior Shaylee Miner and sophomore Sofia Chambers. The goal came on Bruner’s first shot on goal of the season.

The Ducks finished with 11 shots, completed by Chambers, Bruner, freshman Jessica Yu, sophomore Marissa Everett, juniors Abby Morrow and Miranda Schulz, and senior Marlo Sweatman. The Titans finished with seven shots.

“I’m happy with the great response from our team,” Oregon head coach Kat Mertz told GoDucks. “Overall, it was a tactical battle in the first half and Fullerton did a good job containing our offense. In the second half, we were able to be a little more dangerous.”

This is the fourth recorded shutout for goalkeepers Halla Hinriksdottir and Katelyn Carter this season. Hinriksdottir earned the win, making her individual record 2-0-0. She made one save Sunday evening against the Titans’ only shot on goal.

Not even half way into the season, the Ducks have already matched their goal total from their entire 2015 season at 15 goals.

“We’re looking forward to coming back home to protect Papé Field for some Monday night futbol,” Mertz said.

The Ducks only have one more game of non-conference play before they travel to Stanford on Sep. 24 to begin battling Pac-12 opponents. Stanford currently has a 6-0-1 record, suggesting that it will be a great match-up. On Sep 19, Oregon will take on University of Portland at Papé Field at 6 p.m.

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Katie Hultin was a goalkeeper for the Washington State Cougars when the Pac-12 was merely the Pac-10.

She made quite a name for herself during her time there, earning team MVP honors once and Most Inspirational four times. Hultin made Cougar history by being named the Pac-10 player of the week twice in one season.

Upon graduation from WSU, Hultin — pronounced “Hul-teen” — began coaching soccer, while playing in the W-League and the Women’s Professional Soccer League in the summers. She was a goalkeeper for the Seattle Sounders for five seasons.

“I think that everyone in my life at the time knew that I was going to be a coach except for me,” Oregon’s newest assistant coach said.

“I just couldn’t give up soccer.”

Hultin became a volunteer assistant coach at Seattle University, which she refers to as one of her first “grown up jobs.”

“I was kind of driven to grow up a little bit,” Hultin said. “I really enjoy working with college-aged players; it was the right fit for me.”

In 2014, Hultin joined the coaching staff at the University of Illinois of the Big-10 conference, then rejoined the Pac-12 as an Oregon Duck.

She describes the two Division I conferences as being similar to one another. “Every game is — it’s anyone’s to take. Every game really counts and really means something.”

“I’ve been really fortunate to coach in some great conferences, but I’m really excited to be back in the Pac-12. I’ve always loved the conference of champions,” she said with a grin.

Since Hultin joined the Oregon women’s soccer team as an assistant coach in the spring, the Ducks have had their best season start in five years. They currently remain undefeated with a 5-0-1 record.

Still, she refrained from crediting herself for any of Oregon’s 2016 successes.

“[This season] is a true testament to the staff that’s here,” she said. “Kat and Manny and Christie, who was here that last few years — the work they’ve put into this program… it’s showing right now on the field.”

Head coach Kat Mertz, on the other hand, has no problem bragging about Hultin.

“Not only is her [soccer] knowledge off the charts, but just her ability to connect with her players in such a short amount of time has been really rewarding for me, as a coach, to see them latch on and get motivated behind her,” Mertz said. “[She has] a really good teaching and coaching mentality and style. It really works well for our team.”

As a former goalkeeper and current defensive specialist, Hultin’s eyes lit up when talking about the backfield. “I’m extremely passionate about shutting down the opponent,” she said enthusiastically.

So far this season, with only six games played, the Ducks have recorded three shutouts, completed by goalkeepers Halla Hinriksdottir and Katelyn Carter.

“The back line, the defense — they’re my people,” Hultin said. “It’s one of those things that I’m passionate about teaching.”

While being interviewed, Hultin breezily greeted two of her players as they arrived for practice, as if they had been friends for decades.

Of her team, she said, “they’re close-knit, they have each others backs, they’re really, really fun to be around.”

“It’s quite a privilege to be a part of the University of Oregon athletic department,” she continued. “I feel like I’ve been here for years, just the way the team is [so welcoming]. It’s good to be back in the Pac Northwest.”

With almost a nostalgic look in her eye, Hultin said, “Time’s going to fly by.”

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