The Oregon State Women’s Soccer team has struggled to a 1-3 start to open the 2026 season, and over the next few days will take on some of the biggest names on their schedule. Up first is the return of the rivalry match against Oregon in Eugene, with most teams looking to prove themselves.
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Oregon came into the season with low expectations, not unlike the Beavers. The Ducks were picked to finish at the bottom of the standings in the Big 10’s preseason poll, a season after the finished last in the conference with a 3-10-5 overall record.
The Ducks have already matched last year’s win total, with wins over Portland State, Gonzaga and San Francisco. None of those schools are particularly world beaters, but the Ducks have been getting the wins they should be getting.
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Oregon’s final result is the most interesting, a 1-1 tie against Santa Clara. The Broncos are a team with a pedigree, not too far removed from a national championship. The fact that the Ducks were able to play them evenly over 90 minutes suggests they’ve taken a big step forward.
This year’s Oregon team has been scoring at a remarkable pace. Each of their wins was a 3-0 shutout, and six different ducks have scored goals this season, three of them multiple goals. Junior midfielder Carly Cormack leads the team with three goals and two assists. Freshman forward Shiloh Baird and sophomore midfielder Ellie Felt each have two goals.
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Defensively have performed well, but remain somewhat untested. No team has outshot the Ducks yet this season, with Oregon dominating possession against both Portland State and San Francisco. Gonzaga played the Ducks tougher, getting four shots on goal, but couldn’t find the net.
Santa Clara is obviously the team that played Oregon the toughest. The one goal the Ducks have given up this season came early against the Broncos, when Santa Clara’s Kennedy Schoennauer scored on a penalty kick in the third minute.
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The Broncos found a way to force a big scoring play against Oregon and capitalized, but were unable to replicate that during the rest of the game. No other school the Ducks have played have managed it either. Oregon goalkeepers have performed well so far, but they haven’t been hammered with shots the way an elite offense can.
Regardless, the Beavers aren’t likely to be the team that puts the Ducks’ defense to the contest. In their most recent game against Weber State the Beavers’ offense evaporated in the second half, letting the Wildcats dictate the pace of the game and take a 2-1 win. The Beavers were also blanked against South Carolina and Lipscomb.
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If the Beavers can find a way to play more aggressively against the Ducks, they should have a shot, but it’s not something we’ve seen so far from this team. That said, some of the young Beavers are starting to make an impact, with freshman forward Lea Gentry just earning a Newcomer of the Week Award from the Pac-12. They could take another step forward against Oregon.
We’ll find out tomorrow, with kick off set for 6 PM Pacific.
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