Ducks Look to Extend Unbeaten Streak in Bay Area
Oregon wraps up a stretch of five road games in six matches with a trip to the Bay Area this weekend. The Ducks will face California at 7 p.m. on Thursday and No. 7 Stanford at 1 p.m. on Sunday. Both matches will be on Pac-12 Network.
KEY STORYLINES
• The Ducks are undefeated through their first nine games of the season (5-0-4) for the first time since 1981.
• Dating back to last season, Oregon is unbeaten in its last 11 games (6-0-5). That is the second-longest streak in program history, behind only a 21-macth unbeaten streak (17-0-4) over the course of the 1980 and 1981 seasons.
• Oregon has scored 18 goals in 9 games in 2021. Contrast that to last season when the Ducks found the net 12 times in 16 games.
• Last Friday, Oregon shutout No. 3 UCLA in a 0-0 draw in Los Angeles. It was the first time the Bruins had been shutout at home in more than three years. Leah Freeman (goalkeeper) and Chai Cortez (defender) were named Pac-12 players of the week.
• Oregon notched several milestones versus the Bay Area schools a season ago. The Ducks won for the first time at Berkeley (1-0), defeated No. 3 Stanford for the first time ever in the first meeting of the year in Eugene (2-1) and shutout the Cardinal for the first time (0-0) in a game played at The Farm. Oregon went undefeated on the Bay Area trip for the first time ever.
• The Ducks and goalkeeper Leah Freeman have four shutouts in the last five matches. Freeman ranks second in the conference and 17th nationally with a 0.45 goals against average. The Berkeley, Calif., native also ranks second in the conference and 16th nationally in shutouts with five. That is just two shy of the UO single-season record of seven.
CURRAN SETS GAMES PLAYED RECORD; OTHER PLAYERS CLIMB
A trio of fifth-year seniors, Chardonnay Curran, Mia Palmer and Eden Hardy, could all leave their marks on both the UO career games played list and the UO career starts list. Curran broke the school record with her 81st career cap Sept. 19 at Portland State and now shows 82. Palmer is at 78 career matches (tied for seventh) and Hardy is at 75. Additionally, Curran could also eclipse the current career mark for games started (80, Danielle Sweeney and Scout Libke). She currently has 74 career starts (tied for eighth), while Palmer shows 66.
HONOR ROLL
Oregon's 2021 National and Pac-12 laurels:
Top Drawer Soccer National Team of the Week
Sept. 28 Leah Freeman (Goalkeeper)
Pac-12
Offensive Player of the Week
Sept. 13 Zoe Hasenauer, MF
Defensive Player of the Week
Sept. 27 Chai Cortez, D
Goalkeeper of the Week
Sept. 27 Leah Freeman
HASENAUER NAMED PAC-12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK AFTER TEXAS TRIP
Zoe Hasenauer was named the Pac-12 offensive player of the week on Sept. 13 after scoring the game-winner in the 87th minute Sept. 9 at Texas and assisting a Kess Elmore goal Sept. 12 at Baylor. Elmore assisted Hasenauer's goal at Texas.
WEEK 6 RECAP
Goalkeeper Leah Freeman made six saves to back a standout effort by the Oregon defense as the Ducks played No. 3 UCLA to a 0-0 draw in overtime Sept. 24 at Annenberg Stadium. The Ducks posted their third consecutive shutout to halt the Bruins' eight-game winning streak. It was Oregon's first shutout against UCLA in program history. The Bruins had three looks at the net off a free kick in the 60th minute but Freeman was able to make two close-range saves on the play, while the third attempt was wide. The save of the night came in the 69th minute when Sunshine Fontes got to a ball behind Oregon's backline but Freeman charged out of the net to smother Fontes' head on strike from inside the 18.