All-Around Effort Earns Draw at Portland

PORTLAND – Trinity Morales scored the first goal of her career in the sixth minute and Leah Freeman made a number of high-flying saves, but it was an all-around team effort that earned Oregon a 1-1 draw at Portland Friday in front of 3,062 fans at Merlo Field.
 
"Obviously our aim is to win these games but when you dive deeper into the selfless performances of people in the last couple of games, it makes you proud to coach this group," said Oregon head coach Graeme Abel. "Even in the adversity, we are now starting to find some rhythm in possession. Add that to the work ethic we have shown, it's setting us up well."
 
How it Happened: Oregon (2-2-4) took a 1-0 lead just over five minutes into the match when Ajanae Respass blasted a close-range shot that was initially saved by Portland goalkeeper Cadence Rutledge. The ball deflected well outside of the 18-yard box and eventually found Morales, who sent a scorching line drive into the right side of the net from 25 yards out.
 
An extended possession led to the tying goal for Portland (5-0-4) off a corner kick in the 60th minute.
 
Other than that, it was Freeman backing a relentless effort from the Ducks. She made leaping saves four times Friday night, two in each half. She swatted away a shot that was headed to the upper right corner in the 18th minute, and then got airborne again to push a shot over the crossbar in the 35th minute.
 
She climbed the ladder two more times to make saves in the last 10 minutes of the match and finished with six saves.
 
The two teams played a fairly even match, with Oregon attempting nine shots to Portland's 13.
 
What It Means: After dropping the first 16 games of the series versus Portland, the Ducks are now undefeated in the last four meetings (2-0-2). Zoe Hasenauer and Chai Cortez became the first Ducks to never lose to the Pilots in a four- or five-year career.
 
Notable: Hasenauer continues to climb the UO career games started list. Friday was her 81st career start, moving her into sole possession of fourth place. Hasenauer needs four more starts to break the UO career record. … With one shot on Friday, Hasenauer moved into a tie for fourth in UO career shots with Bri Pugh (2011-14) with 169. … Bel Rolley returned to the starting lineup for the first time since being injured Aug. 27 at Gonzaga.
 
Up Next: The Ducks begin Pac-12 play by hosting Washington Sept. 23 at Papé Field (7 p.m.).
 
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