| 18 October 2010
The way the Oregon State University Beavers beat the UCLA Bruins 3-0 on Sunday, one would have been forgiven for thinking it was OSU, not UCLA, who was ranked No. 16 in the nation.
Both teams were coming off close Friday night wins – OSU over the USC Trojans 1-0, and UCLA over the University of Oregon Ducks 3-1 – so it would not have been a surprise to see either team slowed early by fatigue. However, the Beavers were able to outrun a solid UCLA team while only using a two subs, one fewer than even international soccer allows.
Relentless, patient offense converts its chances
Chelsea Buckland scored her second consecutive winning goal with about seven minutes left in the first half off a long ball and subsequent bad touch from a UCLA defender, Buckland sending it into the net past the fingertips of a diving UCLA keeper Chante Sandiford.
To UCLA's credit, neither that nor Lindsay's Meiggs' 59th-minute goal slowed them down – but Jenna Richardson's goal with seven minutes left did. OSU defender Milan Cabrera played it out of her own 18-yard box right to Richardson's feet at the half, and Richardson carried the ball the rest of the way and finished it herself.
The continued pressure from OSU in the remaining minutes of the game revealed a team that just isn't comfortable hunkering down and killing time, but needs to get forward and threaten to score.
Grade: A
Defense makes it look easy
UCLA's Sydney Leroux scored 23 goals in 24 games in the previous season, including the winning goal in a 3-0 defeat of OSU. For all the impact she had on this weekend's match – two shots, and only one of those on goal – she might as well have stayed home. Whenever she gained possession, the Beavers' aggressive center backs and center midfielders were very effective in keeping her away from goal.
The presence of Courtney Wetzel playing very high in the center midfield, almost as a third striker, went a long way towards disrupting the UCLA offense before it could get going.
Grade: A
Final Thoughts
OSU again showed themselves to be the stronger team mentally, never looking rattled or confused even when UCLA was pressing. At this point, the Beavers have confidence, momentum and a seemingly large surplus of offensive talent spread across a large group of younger players. What remains to be seen is exactly what, if anything, will keep them from fulfilling their potential.
Grade: A
Individual Notes
Goalkeeper Colleen Boyd's two saves means she now has nine shutouts in 13 games and has played every minute of every game for the Beavers this season.
Brittany Galindo covered a lot of ground and disrupted the UCLA offense just outside the 18 throughout the whole match.
If Friday's match against UCLA was the story of Chelsea Buckland's individual ability, the win over UCLA was the story of the intangibles of the only senior on the team, Courtney Wetzel, who was somehow exactly where OSU needed a player every time.
photo: OSU Athletic Department
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