Uphill climb awaits USU at Oregon, Oregon State
With a 1-1 record, the USU soccer team heads to Oregon this weekend to take on two Pac-10 contenders in Oregon and Oregon State.
As tough and deep as the Pac-10 is in football, it is a similar powerhouse in women’s soccer, USU head coach Heather Cairns said.
“We expect Oregon to be one of our toughest opponents,” Cairns said. “They come from the Pac-10, a great soccer conference. They’re the real deal.”
The Aggies will first face the Oregon Ducks, Friday at 8 p.m and then travel to Corvallis to challenge Oregon State, Sunday at noon.
Last season, the USU soccer team fell 2-1 in their home season opener to the Ducks.
Oregon returns a veteran squad, including Danielle Sweeney, a top Oregon scorer that challenged the Aggies in the last meeting between the two teams. While Sweeney is a threat, Cairns said the real key to beating Oregon is focusing on more than just one player.
“We need to do the job on all of them,” Cairns said. “They’re going to be good. We need to be sure that we’re very disciplined defensively and professional in the attack. It’s going to take a good tactical game to beat them.”
The Aggies aren’t going in unarmed, though. Coming off Sunday’s 2-1 win over Seattle University has given the team confidence and excitement that Cairns said will help in facing the Pac-10 foes.
“I think we have some confidence and I really think we’re up to the challenge,” Cairns said. “We know the importance and challenge of playing two great teams from a great soccer conference.”
A possible advantage for the Aggies is the presence of a freshman goalkeeper for the Ducks, as their senior netminder is out with an injury. Cairns said the inexperience may prove beneficial but getting through their veteran defenders to put pressure and take shots will be a tall task.
While not as decorated and dangerous as Oregon, the Oregon State Beavers are still a formidable opponent, Cairns said. Expecting a similar style of play and difficulty, Cairns said playing a second road game in as many days will only add to the uphill battle.
“We’re going to have to play good soccer to get results this weekend,” Cairns said.
Good soccer will require solid defense from a seasoned Aggie backline and production from four high-scoring forwards, Cairns said.
The USU frontline is made up of forwards Erin Salmon, Candice Clark, Lauren Hansen and Shantel Flanary. Salmon and freshman Flanary have both scored goals for the Aggies this season. This weekend Clark will play her first game this season after resting from a concussion, Cairns said.
Each forward provides a dangerous scoring threat to the opponent, something Cairns said she is excited about.
“The emergence of Shantel Flanary has been a huge boost to our offense,” she said. “Lauren and Erin Salmon have been playing very well as well. Although Lauren hasn’t gotten on the board yet, she’s still dangerous. If we can get those four playing their best, we’ll have a pretty potent attack.”
In addition to the fantastic four, Cairns said she is relying on her seasoned defenders and goalkeeper Ali Griffin to stave off the other team to provide more chances for the offense to score. All four defenders and Griffin are returning, including Lindsey Smart, who scored a goal in Sunday’s match.
While the Aggies have many veterans on the team, there are about as many newcomers. With only two games down, Cairns said the team is still trying to figure out how to work as a team.
“I would like to see us improve as a group, to see us keep getting better, working together,” Cairns said. “That’s what the early season is about. I want to see us fight, work hard and battle our opponents.”
—seth.h@aggiemail.usu.edu