Ducks Earn a Tie with Eastern Michigan
The Ducks will face Cal State Fullerton Sunday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. at Papé Field.
(EUGENE, Ore. ) — A header from Marlo Sweatman in the 75th minute gave the Oregon soccer team (3-1-1) a 1-1 tie with Eastern Michigan (2-2-1) Friday evening at Papé Field.
How It Happened:
The Eagles scored the first goal of the match in the 25th minute when Bianca Rossi directed a cross from Marisa Kozikowski past a diving Abby Steele, and the Eagles drew first blood, 1-0. The Ducks responded late in the second half when Sweatman rose above the rest of the crowd in the box and headed a cross from Kira Wagoner to bring the score to 1-1. Oregon continued to push offensively in the remainder of the second half and both overtimes, but they were unable to score the potential game-winning goal.
What It Means:
Friday night’s match was not the first time this season that Oregon has faced serious adversity, but the Ducks effectively dealt with the early Eastern Michigan goal and looked in control for the majority of the evening. In the 13 minutes following the goal, the Ducks fired three shots and challenged the goalkeeper, Megan McCabe, on almost every opportunity. Oregon led the Eagles 7-4 in shots during the first half and managed to pick up some momentum heading into the locker room after giving up their first goal at home this season.
Second Half Goals:
With Sweatman’s goal, the Ducks have scored all six of their goals this season in the second half. While much of this can be attributed to tactical adjustments, the Ducks have been visibly persistent throughout all their home matches in exhibiting constant effort and consistently advancing the ball.
Slurry of Shots:
The most notable stat of the match was Oregon’s 18-8 advantage in shots. Bri Pugh led the Ducks with six, while Lilly Archer and Sweatman both notched three. Eight Ducks attempted a shot over the course of the evening.
Key Quotes:
“I thought we could have had a couple goals there in the first half and we got maybe a little relaxed defensively. We had such control of the game, and when we got dispossessed, that’s when they countered on it and we fell asleep a little bit. . . Eastern Michigan is a good team, they’ve had good results. I knew it was going to be a tough game, I’ll be happy with a tie.” – Head coach Kat Mertz
“Coach put me up top after she moved me from midfielder, and then Kira came in and her first touch on the ball was her assist to me. She went to the end line and had a beautiful cross right to my head. I just tried to remember to keep it low and in the corner.” – Sophomore midfielder Marlo Sweatman
What’s Next:
The Ducks will face Cal State Fullerton Sunday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. at Papé Field.
The Titans tied with Oregon State in Corvallis this evening, 0-0.
Source: goducks.com
