The Barometer Online

Issue date: 10/26/06 Section: Sports

Media Credit: David LaChasse Kelli Washburn fights for posession of a ball with a Portland defender in the Beavers' 3-0 loss to the Pilots earlier this season.

Picking up wins has been as issue for all athletic teams at Oregon State this fall. The volleyball and men's soccer teams are both winless in conference and the women's soccer team has been the latest addition to those who are struggling.

After dropping the Civil War game last Friday to the University of Oregon, the Oregon State women's soccer team will look to end its four-game skid in the Bay area, where they will face Stanford on Friday at 7 p.m. and No. 24 California on Sunday at 1 p.m..

The Beavers (8-6-2, 1-4 Pacific-10 Conference) ended their three-game scoreless streak and goalie Melissa Onstad made a season-high nine saves, but the Beavers were unable to pick up a victory. With four straight losses, postseason hopes are beginning to dwindle.

"We are positive going into this weekend," said forward Jodie Taylor. "We've had a few disappointing results the past few weeks but we are not giving up by any means. Our hopes are still alive and we will see what kind of results we can get in the next two weeks."

Up first for OSU is the No. 17 Cardinal (11-5-1, 4-1-1 Pac-10), winner of four straight Pac-10 games. Kelley O'Hara and Shari Summers have shared most of the scoring load, scoring six goals apiece.

To conclude the weekend, the Beavers travel to nearby Berkeley to face Cal (8-4-4, 1-3-2 Pac-10). The Beavers have struggled immensely against the Bears, losing nine of the previous 10 meetings. The Beavers have never won in Berkeley, a statistic that could possibly be erased this weekend.

"We haven't done as well as we would have liked thus far," OSU coach Steve Fennah said. "We have given up too many soft goals through our own errors as opposed to our opponent creating goals. You can't do that in this low-scoring sport, so you can't afford to give your opponent an opportunity like we've done."

While Cal's Pac-10 record doesn't turn heads, the Bears are coming off a 2-0 win over Washington State where they held a 15-8 shot margin over the Cougars. That means the defense will be crucial in preventing quality scoring chances for the Bears.

"We need to step it up all over the field," Onstad said. "In our minds it doesn't matter how other games have ended up in the Pac-10 because it's so open."

The lower half of the Pac-10 is littered with teams who are jockeying for position. The Beavers currently reside in eighth place and could move quickly up the ladder with quality play. Picking up results will be key as OSU looks to rise from the cellar and make one final push for the preseason goal of the NCAA Tournament.

"We just lost four games by one goal: all games we could have won," Fennah said. "We probably have the toughest schedule in the country during our last four games. If we can be successful in those games than there is NCAA recognition at the end of it for them."

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