The Barometer Online

Issue date: 9/28/06 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Andrew Burton Midfielder Kelli Washburn protects the ball from a Portland defender in the Beavers' 3-0 loss to the Pilots on Sept. 15. OSU takes on Portland State in its final preseason game of the fall this Sunday.

They saw the bright lights of the city. They saw the Statue of Liberty and Ground Zero. They even rode the subway and encountered the nasty traffic. And like any tourist visiting New York City, they didn't come back empty handed. The Oregon State women's soccer team concluded its East Coast road trip by defeating ARMY 1-0, finishing the three-game trip 2-0-1.

After losing 3-0 to the University of Portland, the Beavers (6-2-2) took a red-eye flight the next evening that officially began the trip. A win over St. John's and a hard-fought tie with Long Island set the stage for the win over ARMY.

"It was a good road trip for us and it's always to get wins on the road," midfielder Lauren Wippel said. "We had a lot of things working against us with the time change, being in a new environment, and playing on fields that probably shouldn't even be legal to play on. We are definitely happy with the trip."

"Being in New York City is a fun thing," OSU head coach Steve Fennah added. "Seeing the noise and the atmosphere is exciting. It was the first time I had seen the 9/11 Memorial and that was pretty moving."

Now back in their preferred time zone on the West Coast, the Beavers have one final preseason match up before Pacific-10 Conference play begins. Portland State University travels to Lorenz field to meet the Beavers on Sunday at 1 p.m.

The Vikings (0-8-1) have struggled immensely in the young season. Their record only shows the beginning of the Vikings' struggles. The offense has only produced one goal. The defense has been very shaky, allowing 17 goals on the season and an average of 19 shots per game. The struggles have also forced head coach Tim Bennett to rotate both of his goalies in and out of the lineup, regardless of the score.

"The PSU game is a really tough game for us every time because it's a big in-state rivalry," Fennah said. "I think it goes across the board in all sports that when you step on the field against an in-state rival the phonebook and everything else goes out the window. If we do what we need to do, play smart and play together as a team, and we compete and battle and provide the attitude that is needed it's a game that we obviously should get results in."

Continued...

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