Spring Break
Beavers plan to take winning streak to post season
Grady Garrett
Issue date: 11/6/09 Section: Sports
Grady Garrett
The Daily Barometer
The Pac-10 women's soccer season is in its final weekend, and the Oregon State team is in Arizona seeking two more conference wins to add to their résumé.
If the Beavers (11-6-1, 3-4-0 Pac-10) can, there's an outside chance that they would reach the NCAA Division I women's soccer tournament for just the second time in program history.
OSU last qualified for the field of 64 in 1994, but the history ends there. Wins have been hard to come by for a program that came into this season having won just five conference games in the previous four years combined.
Prior to this year, the 1994 team was the last Oregon State team to have a winning streak of seven games or longer. It was also the last OSU team to beat USC in Los Angeles. The 2009 squad, playing under second-year OSU head coach Linus Rhode, repeated both of those feats for the first time in 15 years.
It'd be fitting if they accomplished the final feat and extended their season a week or two.
Although the thought is intriguing, Oregon State is concentrating only on what they can control.
"I told the girls we can't focus on (the possibilities)," Rhode said. "We just need to focus on this weekend."
Oregon State comes into Arizona with some momentum after beating the University of Washington 2-1 last Sunday, but they no longer have the luxury of playing at home. The game against the Huskies marked the OSU seniors' last game in Corvallis. The seniors' last game anywhere could come in two days.
Arizona State (7-7-3, 0-6-1 Pac-10), who hosts the Beavers on Friday, and Arizona (4-13-1, 1-6-0 Pac-10), who hosts the Beavers on Sunday, reside at the bottom of the conference standings.
"Both teams are very good despite their record," Rhode said. "It's not like they're getting walked over."
For Arizona State, five of their six conference losses have been by a single goal, and three of those losses came in overtime. The one non-blemish on the Sun Devils' record came Oct. 18, when they played Washington to a 1-1 draw.
The Daily Barometer
The Pac-10 women's soccer season is in its final weekend, and the Oregon State team is in Arizona seeking two more conference wins to add to their résumé.
If the Beavers (11-6-1, 3-4-0 Pac-10) can, there's an outside chance that they would reach the NCAA Division I women's soccer tournament for just the second time in program history.
OSU last qualified for the field of 64 in 1994, but the history ends there. Wins have been hard to come by for a program that came into this season having won just five conference games in the previous four years combined.
Prior to this year, the 1994 team was the last Oregon State team to have a winning streak of seven games or longer. It was also the last OSU team to beat USC in Los Angeles. The 2009 squad, playing under second-year OSU head coach Linus Rhode, repeated both of those feats for the first time in 15 years.
It'd be fitting if they accomplished the final feat and extended their season a week or two.
Although the thought is intriguing, Oregon State is concentrating only on what they can control.
"I told the girls we can't focus on (the possibilities)," Rhode said. "We just need to focus on this weekend."
Oregon State comes into Arizona with some momentum after beating the University of Washington 2-1 last Sunday, but they no longer have the luxury of playing at home. The game against the Huskies marked the OSU seniors' last game in Corvallis. The seniors' last game anywhere could come in two days.
Arizona State (7-7-3, 0-6-1 Pac-10), who hosts the Beavers on Friday, and Arizona (4-13-1, 1-6-0 Pac-10), who hosts the Beavers on Sunday, reside at the bottom of the conference standings.
"Both teams are very good despite their record," Rhode said. "It's not like they're getting walked over."
For Arizona State, five of their six conference losses have been by a single goal, and three of those losses came in overtime. The one non-blemish on the Sun Devils' record came Oct. 18, when they played Washington to a 1-1 draw.
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