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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 3, 2001)
Sports Editor: Adam Jude adamjude@dailyemerald.com Assistant Sports Editor: Jeff Smith jeffsmith@dailyemerald.com ‘do Best Bet NHL: Colorado at Pittsburgh, 5p.m., ESPN Wednesday, October 3,2001 Offensive ■The soccer team has vastly improved this season and no area has benefited as much as the offense By Peter Hockaday Oregon Daily Emerald Suddenly, soccer. After years of weak-as-wa ter offense, under-seige de fense and battered goalkeep ing, the Oregon soccer team has found its boots this fall. The result? A 5-1-1 record, the best start in school history, and a victory over a top-25 team with another top-ranked foe — No. 4 Portland — com ing to Eugene today at 3 p.m. “As much as last year was one step backward, we’re now taking two steps forward,” Oregon head coach Bill Stef fen said. While the entire Oregon squad has lifted off, no im provement is as visible as the Ducks’ offense. Oregon scored eight goals in victories over No. 19 San Diego and Eastern Washington last weekend and has already scored 17 goals on the season. The Ducks’ season record is 27. Steffen said the offense is benefiting from the improved play of the entire team. “The entire team is playing offense,” Steffen said. “We’re attacking with 11 players.” The new Oregon offense must have opponents cringing at the names and goal totals. Freshman Nicole Garbin has “The entire team is playing offense. We’re attacking with 11 players. ” BiM Steffen Oregon head coach five goals, including a school record four game-winners. Se nior Chalise Baysa — Ore gon’s all time leading goal-scorer — has four this season. Senior Beth Bowler has three. Sophomore Ann Westermark has three assists and one goal. Garbin describes the team’s new killer instinct in terms of history, despite her newcom er status. “In the past, they haven’t done so well,” Garbin said. “Now they want to beat teams 7-0, 8-0.” Baysa is the star-of-all-stars for Oregon. She holds all of the school’s major offensive records, and she is the focus of opposing defenses. Among Baysa’s Oregon records are ca reer goals, career points, sea son goals, goals in a game, ca reer game-winning goals and games played in a season. Garbin is the star for the fu ture. The freshman has scored a goal in four of Oregon’s five wins, and notched an assist in the one game she didn’t net a goal in. When Garbin gets a point, Oregon is 5-0-0 this season; when she doesn’t score, the Ducks are 0-1-1. “Nicole is a great player,” Westermark said. Bowler is the up-and-com ing star, as a senior. A forward trapped in a midfielder’s body, Bowler has taken every chance she’s been given to fire away this season, and the re sults have been three goals and two assists. Bowler leads the team in shots, with 27, and also ranks among the Pa cific-10 Conference leaders in that category, after she took only 29 shots all last season. “I’m just trying to finish strong,” said Bowler, who echoed the sentiments of the team when she said the Ducks have a goal of their first Turn to Soccer, page 12 Photos by Adam Amato Emerald Kick started by an explosive offense, the Oregon soccer team is off to its best start ever at 5-1 -1. Pictured above: Chalise Baysa (2) and Nicole Garbin (top left); Garbin (middle left); Ann Westermark and Elise Minvielle (bottom left)- Beth Bowler (top right); Crystal David (middle right); Garbin and Bowler (bottom right). Redshirt freshman receiver sparkles in starters’ absences ■Oregon needed ayoung receiver to step in and make an impact Saturday, and Keith Allen proved to be the one By Jeff Smith Oregon Daily Emerald First, starting wide receiver Ja son Willis went down with a con cussion. Then, the other starter, Keenan Howry, was sent to the sidelines for the rest of the game after suffer ing a rib contusion late in the first half. And just like that, all eyes were on redshirt freshman Keith Allen. Granted, the setting Saturday night was Romney Stadium in Lo gan, Utah, and not the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, but it was still a big spot for a young wide receiver en tering Oregon’s game against Utah State with only one career recep tion. With the team’s leading re ceivers out for the rest of the game, Oregon head coach Mike Bellotti approached Allen and told, him to be ready. “He walked up to me and said, ‘Hey, you gotta’ go out there and make plays. Go do what you have to do,’ ’’Allen said. One would imagine that the but terflies began multiplying in Allen’s stomach as he stepped onto the field, but Allen said they didn’t stay in there for long. “I was a little nervous when I first got in there, but after the first catch, it kind of went away,” Allen said. “I wasn’t surprised at all by my catches. It just felt good to be out there.” Allen, who was the offensive scout team’s player of the week twice last season, was Oregon’s leading receiver Saturday after pulling in four catches for 92 yards. “It gave me a lot of confidence because I got to see what I could do out there,” Allen said. “I really did n’t know because I hadn’t really got the chance. I was just waiting my turn this whole season and the time came and I went in there and stepped it up. It felt great.” Bellotti said Tuesday that Willis has fully recovered from his con cussion and will play this week Tu'rnib Hdbtball,. page . 7. Adam Amato Emerald
