Four Ducks Earn All-Pac-12 Honors
EUGENE, Ore. – A program-best four student-athletes were named to the all-Pac-12 teams, announced by the conference Friday.
The league's coaches named goalkeeper Leah Freeman to the first team, defender Croix Soto to the second team and forward Ally Cook and defender Chai Cortez to the third team.
The four all-conference selections are one better than last season when Freeman, Soto and Zoe Hasenauer were named to the third team.
Freeman earned her second career all-Pac-12 honor in becoming the first Oregon goalkeeper, and the fourth Duck overall, named to the all-Pac-12 first team. She joins Scout Libke (2011), Jen Stoltenberg (2010) and conference player of the year Nicole Garbin (2006) as Oregon's first team honorees.
Soto also earned her second career all-league honor after landing on the third team last season. This is the first career all-Pac-12 honor for Cook and Cortez.
The four Ducks were key performers on a team that posted Oregon's best record – 9-4-6 – in 15 years and secured back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in 40 years. Oregon's tie for fifth in the Pac-12 was the Ducks' highest conference finish since coming in second in 2006.
Leah Freeman, So., GK, Berkeley, Calif., ALL-PAC-12 FIRST TEAM
Freeman leads the Pac-12 and ranks tied for 11th nationally with a school-record nine shutouts in 2021. She was named Pac-12 player of the week twice; the first came after a shutout at No. 3 UCLA and the second followed back-to-back shutouts of Arizona and Arizona State. She made six saves versus UCLA and remains the only goalkeeper to shutout the unbeaten Bruins this season. She matched her season high with eight saves in the Ducks' 1-0 win over ASU.
She was named to the CoSIDA academic all-District 8 first team on Thursday.
Freeman ranks third in the Pac-12 in both goals against average (0.87) and save percentage (.839). The goals against average is the third-best in program history. She had a scoreless minutes streak of 449:59, second-longest in program history, in September during which, she posted four consecutive shutouts (Portland, Portland State, UCLA, California). Her eight goalkeeper wins in 2021 is one shy of the program record.
In just two years, Freeman already ranks fourth in UO career shutouts (14), sixth in wins (13) and eighth in saves (140).
Croix Soto, Jr., D, Pasadena, Calif., ALL-PAC-12 SECOND TEAM
A center back, Soto helped Oregon hold the opposition to less than a goal a game, 0.97, which was the fourth-best defensive season in program history. She started and played every minute of the Ducks' school-record nine shutouts. She attempted two shots on the year. Over the past two seasons, she has missed just one of Oregon's 35 games and played every minute of the other 34.
She was named to the CoSIDA academic all-District 8 second team on Thursday.
Ally Cook, Jr., F, Coto de Caza, Calif., ALL-PAC-12 THIRD TEAM
Cook led the Ducks with eight goals in 2021. She also led the team in points (20) and shots (70). She became just the fourth Duck in program history with a 20-point season, joining Garbin, Stoltenberg and Chalise Baysa. She scored twice in the season opener versus Fresno State and had the game-winner Aug. 29 against Northern Arizona.
Her most memorable score of the season came Oct. 24 at Utah, where she beat the Utes' goalkeeper one-on-one to give Oregon a 1-0 victory in double-overtime. Half of Cook's eight goals came on the road – Baylor, Stanford, Colorado, Utah. She ranks fourth in the Pac-12 by attempting 3.68 shots per game.
She was named to the CoSIDA academic all-District 8 second team on Thursday.
On the Oregon career lists, Cook is seventh in goals (17) fourth in game-winning goals (8) seventh in points (39) and seventh in shots (146).
Chai Cortez, Sr., D, Kahului, Hawaii, ALL-PAC-12 THIRD TEAM
Cortez started all 19 games at outside back in 2021 for a Duck team that had a 0.97 goals against average (fourth-best in program history). She was named Pac-12 defensive player of the week for her efforts in holding No. 3 UCLA scoreless in a 0-0 tie. It was the first time UCLA had been shutout at home in more than three years.
Cortez tied for the team lead with five assists. She had a career-best two assists against Fresno State and assisted on the game-winning goals against the Bulldogs and California.
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