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Ducks Fight Back To Claim Tie

Sep 3, 2021

EUGENE, Ore. — Ally Cook's fourth goal in four games this season was the equalizer in a 2-2 tie for the Oregon soccer team against visiting UC Santa Barbara before 335 fans at Papé Field on Friday night.

The Ducks (2-0-2) trailed 2-0 at halftime and had been outshot 8-4 at that point. They turned the tables in the second half, forcing overtime after Zoe Hasenauer scored on a penalty kick and Cook made it 2-2 in the 84th minute.

Cook's goal, the 13th of her career, sent UO coach Graeme Abel bounding down the Oregon sideline, leaping into the air and emphatically pumping his fist in celebration.

"You work all week for moments when you score a goal," Abel said afterward. "As tough as it was to swallow in the first half, when you come out and fight back in the second half that way, you've gotta let loose now and then."

How It Happened: The match was intensely physical, featuring 39 combined fouls. UC Santa Barbara set a UO opponent record with 24 fouls and drew four of the five yellow cards handed out over the course of the evening.

Early on the Ducks didn't react well to the pressure. Though UO goalkeeper Maddy Goldberg made a couple of point-blank saves in the opening 10 minutes, UCSB broke through in the 24th minute when Lauren Helwig curled a shot from the left wing inside the far post for a 1-0 lead. Dylan Lewis made it 2-0 just before halftime.

"Technically we were not good enough in the first half, in terms of moving the ball," Abel said. "We moved the ball slow, and we were sloppy on the ball."

Oregon made some tactical adjustments at halftime, and Abel said the contribution off the bench by midfielder Sofia Vinas "changed the game, just in terms of a physical presence." The Ducks outshot UCSB 11-2 in the second half, and had a 3-0 edge in corner kicks after trailing 5-3 at halftime.

It was in the 60th minute that a collision between Cook and goalkeeper Evann Smith resulted in a penalty kick for Oregon. Hasenauer did the honors, tucking home a low, hard shot toward the left side.

In the 84th minute, a free kick by Chai Cortez led to a scramble in front of the net on which Cook scored the tying goal. Hasenauer and Alice Barbieri had scoring chances in the waning moments of regulation, and Cook got her head to a couple of balls in front of the UCSB goal in overtime, but the Ducks settled for the tie.

"We just need to learn that we can't keep going down goals and expect that we're going to get back into it," Abel said. "And so we've got to learn the lessons from that."

Notes: Cook's goal was the 13th of her career, tying her for seventh on the UO career list with Allison Newton (2005-08) and Teresa Bowns (2006-09) … Both Cook and Hasenauer moved up to 10th in UO career points with 28 … Chardonnay Curran played in her 77th career game, which is tied for seventh with Nicole Dobrzynski (2005-08) and just three off the school record of 80 … Oregon is undefeated through the first four matches of the season for the first time since 2016 … The 24 fouls by UCSB were an Oregon opponent record; the previous mark, 23, was set by Oregon State in both 2003 and 2005.

Up Next: The Ducks begin a two-match road trip by playing at Texas on Sept. 9 (5 p.m. PT, Longhorn Network).