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Erin Swanson-Davies Emerald
Oregon defender Molly Stemp (20) in action against Arizona last Sunday. Stemp and the rest of the Ducks will try to continue their recent success when they take on No. 7 UCLA and No. 13 USC this weekend.
Soccer hopes to ‘mentally’ edge UCLA) USC
IBThe Ducks are trying to use a newfound mental toughness and a new offense
to upset the 13th- and 7th-ranked teams in the country
By Peter Hockaday
Oregon Daily Emerald
After a relatively easy opening weekend
against the Arizona schools, the Oregon soc
cer team (4-9-0, 1-1-0) will take on the big
girls of the Pacific-10 Conference this week
end in southern California.
After finding their offense last weekend,
the Ducks will find out this weekend if they
are, in fact, for real. Oregon will take on No.
13 Southern California today and No. 7
UCLA Sunday.
The Ducks will head into this weekend’s
games with a revamped offense and a re
vamped attitude. The Ducks split their first
two Pac-10 games against the Arizona
schools last weekend, and came within
eight minutes of a sweep before Arizona
State scored two goals in the waning mo
ments of Friday’s game.
Oregon head coach Bill Steffen dismissed
Sunday’s win against Arizona as unimpor
tant. He wants his team to improve every
time they take the field.
“I told the kids I think we can get better,”
Steffen said. “Our goal is to develop every
game, so we’ve got to play better this week
end.”
Steffen has said all season that his team
needs to be stronger mentally and thought
that they did that against Arizona last Sun
day.
“I’m happy to see us play intelligently as
well as giving a great physical effort,” Stef
fen said.
The biggest change for Oregon in last
weekend’s games was the offense. Playing
without three key members, the offense
I Duck runners aim to earn
valuable points at Pre-NCAAs
The Duck
Harriers look
to solidify a
trip to the
NCAA meet
with a strong
showing at the
Pre-NCAAs
IgA 1
By Robbie McCallum
Oregon Daily Emerald
It could make or break the Ore
gon cross country teams’ seasons.
Depending on its performanc
es, the Pre-NCAA meet could be
the first or last trip to the Iowa
State cross country course this
season for the Ducks.
An impressive showing at the
meet, which previews the NCAA
Championship meet on Nov. 20,
could mean an almost guaranteed
bid for NCAAs. A poor showing
could mean that the Ducks’ sea
sons would end at the Western
Regional meet on Nov. 11.
“Our most important goal is to
beat some teams that will be vy
ing for an at-large selection in No
vember,” Oregon women’s coach
Tom Heinonen said. “This is the
big meet that the selection com
mittee uses for sorting out the
NCAAs.”
The top-two schools from each
of the nine regions automatically
qualify for the NCAAs. The selec
tion committee then selects 13
additional at-large teams. The
committee heavily weighs their
decisions on national rankings
and performances at the Pre
NCAA meet.
Seventeen of the nation’s top
25 teams will be on hand for the
meet, which stands to be the
largest collegiate meet ever run.
Seventy-two teams are entered,
totaling more than 450 runners in
each race.
“We need to take care of busi
ness in Ames,” Heinonen said. “It
will put us in a good spot to be in
come November.”
The Ducks haven’t missed
many NCAA meets over the
years. Heinonen’s women have
been to 23 NCAA meets in the 25
years it has been a varsity sport.
The men have gone onto 28 post
season appearances since 1963,
including seven in the last eight
years.
“The meet will give us a good
look at the national course,”
Heinonen said. “Having been in
Ames will help us feel more con
fident in November. But it will be
dramatically different when we
come back. It’s fall now, but it will
be winter when we come back —
essentially.”
The Ducks will field much
more experienced teams this year
than last year. Five of the seven
women entered ran at the NCAA
meet last year. Five Duck men
Turn to Cross country, page 9A
Tennis program loses two
more talented players
■The Oregon men’s tennis
team runs into a roadblock:
Two of its top returning
players have left the team
By Robbie McCallum
Oregon Daily Emerald
It has become a disturbing
trend in Oregon tennis: players
leaving the program before their
eligibility runs out.
Two more Ducks have left the
men’s team, leaving head coach
Chris Russell with only five play
ers on the roster.
Thomas Schneiter, Oregon’s
top returning player, and sopho
more Leslie Eisinga, the projected
No. 3 starter, have both left Eu
gene and the Oregon program.
Schneiter, who would have
been a junior this year, did not en
roll at Oregon this fall and is cur
rently at his home near VVorb,
Switzerland. Schneiter, who was
the last remaining member of the
1998 recruiting class, was expect
ed to carry the Ducks this season
and ease the loss of three seniors
from last year’s team.
Eisinga announced his transfer
to the University of Nevada-Las
Vegas this fall.
The native of Helleveetsluis,
Netherlands, was Oregon’s No. 4
player last season and was the
first freshman in school history to
qualify for the NCAAs. Eisinga
and now graduated Guillermo
Carter qualified for the national
tournament after placing second
in the Pacific-10 Conference.
Eisinga is now UNLV’s No. 3
player and is ranked 27th in dou
bles with fellow Rebel Nenad
Zivkovic.
The departures are another blot
on the tennis program’s resume.
Last season, the women’s team
lost one of its most prized re
cruits, Amy Juppenlatz. The
freshman from Portland left the
team at mid-season and now
plays for Purdue.
Two years ago, the men lost an
other prized recruit after only one
season. Bertrand Devillers, a na
tive of Ecaussinnes, Belgium,
went home for the summer in
1999 and did not return. Devillers
and Schneiter were recruited to
gether and were expected to bring
the Oregon program to new
heights. Instead, the Duck roster
now has no juniors and an uncer
tain future. . ..' .
Turn to Tennis, page 9A
Two
more Ducks
have left the
men's team,
leaving
head coach
Chris Russell
with only
five players
on the
roster.