Eugene weekly., October 13, 2005, Page 9, Image 9

Councilor David Kelly said the city could
also use buying threatened streamsides as a
way to avoid developers’ Measure 37 claims
for compensation. “One way to assure pro-
tection of an important resource is to buy it.”
But city staff appeared to resist this idea.
City Manager Dennis Taylor complained that
the acquisition proposal hadn’t been “fully
vetted” by city staff who would like to put
forward competing priorities for the money.
The council also is considering new set-
back requirements for developers building
next to sensitive streams. But Friends of
Eugene President Kevin Matthews faulted
city staff for failing to identify many streams
needing protection. The new setback require-
ments apply to only 65 percent of the sensi-
tive stream corridors identified a few years
ago as targets for acquisition, according to
Walch.
Matthews called the city’s new setback
regulations “a piece of garbage,” for failing
to identify all the threatened waterways. The
city is trying to do the “absolute minimum
protection that would pass muster with the
state,” he said. — Alan Pittman
SLUMLORDS
BEWARE
Slumlords hoping to cash in on a fresh
crop of UO student renters beware, there’s a
new housing cop in town.
The city of Eugene’s new Rental Housing
We all love the home team — and it helps when the play-
ers are aggressive, athletic, attractive and winning most of
the time. Sports fans (and I don’t mean just those Autzen
habitues, or ESPN channel surfers) know that the UO
women’s soccer team may be the best “futbol” team in the
state. It’s even more delicious when more than one-third of
the team is home-grown. That’s right, we can go out
and root for women who have bloodied their
shins and dug in their cleats in the high school
and select club programs of Oregon.
We wrote this column before the Duck
women lost both conference openers in
Arizona last weekend, 3-0 to Arizona
State and 4-2 to Arizona. But we’re stick-
ing with them, hoping that our pride is
only temporarily dimmed.
It is a real tribute to soccer in this state
that so many players are competing at the
Division 1 level. A nod also to first-year Duck
Coach Tara Ericksen who can recognize local
talent and is willing to work with it. Too often
coaches miss the local stars while chasing a player no
better a thousand miles away.
The most noticeable local plays in that soccer crucible
known as the goal. She’s Jessie Chatfield, the freshman
sensation in the net from Churchill High school.
She has already recorded six shutouts in 12 games and
brings enormous energy and courage to the anchor posi-
tion. She has allowed 16 goals this year. Six of those were
against number four ranked Portland, and if she hadn’t
been punching away shots and diving on the ball at the feet
of onrushing Pilots, another six could easily have found the
back of the net. Chatfield is the bomb-diggity for anyone
who loves to watch smart, aggressive and athletic goalkeep-
ing.
Other home-growners fill positions on the field from
striker to stopper. Senior co-captain Katie Abrahamson from
West Linn is starting alongside another talented freshman
from Churchill, Allison Newton on defense. Lisa Tedford,
also a junior Olympic skier, plays defense off the bench, as
does Jen Cameron from Sherwood. Madison Cheek and
Tiffany Smith from Tigard and Eugene support Nicole
Garbin up front, while Taylor Callan from Portland and Kaily
Winther, Eugene — currently rehabbing a knee — play in the
midfield.
Not all the stars hail from Oregon. It has
to be a relief for every player to have
Nicole Garbin back in the lineup after a
year healing from injuries. As a power
forward in the mold of the famous
German, Gerd Muller, she can trap the
ball in traffic, turn and deliver with
power. She knows how to beat
defenses and get results. Even though
she comes from Hawaii, the fans at
Pape field are smart enough to treat
her like a native daughter.
Speaking of daughters, if you’ve got one
take her over to the games next weekend.
Coming off their Arizona downer, the Ducks will be
playing only four more times before the home crowd. These
players are role models and members of our community.
Just ask the elementary school girls who got to walk to
school the other day with members of the team. The Ducks
showed up at 7:15 am to participate in a “Walk to School
Day.”
Once the youngsters realized that the college students
walking with them were soccer players they lit up. The little
ones buzzed about their next games, the Ducks’ next games
and kicking around at recess. Those youngsters might be
the home-growns of 2015.
The Ducks have four more home games: UCLA at 5 pm
Friday, Oct. 14; USC at noon Sunday, Oct. 16; Cal at 5 pm
Friday, Nov. 4; and Stanford at 1 pm Sunday, Nov. 6. All
games are at Papé Field, next to Autzen stadium. — G. Posts
OCTOBER 13, 2005 9