Oregon's Garbin, Erickson, Sweeney Collect More Honors

Erickson was named Pac-10 coach of the year last month.

Nicole Garbin was named to the NSCAA and Soccer Buzz all-West Region teams. Photo: goducks.com

EUGENE - The postseason honors continue to roll in for the Oregon soccer program.

Senior forward Nicole Garbin was selected to the Soccer Buzz all-West Region first team and the NSCAA all-West Region second team, while rookie defender Danielle Sweeney was named to the Soccer Buzz West Region all-freshman team.

Also, Oregon head coach Tara Erickson was named West Region coach of the year by Soccer Buzz, the same honor she garnered last week from the NSCAA, after leading Oregon to a 12-6-2 record and a second-place finish in the Pac-10 (6-1-2).

The Ducks also learned on Tuesday that they finished at No. 50 in the final RPI released by the NCAA.

Oregon had the biggest jump of all 310 Division I teams between the final regular season RPI, released prior to the last weekend of play, and the end of the year report issued after the NCAA Tournament.

The Ducks, a surprising omission from the 2006 NCAA Tournament, moved up 29 places from their No. 79 ranking in the Oct. 31st report.

Garbin, a senior from Wailuku, Hawaii, finished her remarkable career holding or sharing 19 different school records. She becomes the first Duck honored by either the NSCAA and Soccer Buzz on their respective West Region teams.

In 2006, she set school season records for goals (12), game-winning goals (9), points (25) and shots (84). She led the Pac-10 in game-winning goals, hitting the decisive score in all six of Oregon’s conference triumphs.

The 2006 Pac-10 player of the year became the first player in league history to win Pac-10 player of the week honors three times in the same season, and her four career player of the week honors are the most in league history. She was also a two-time selection on the Soccer Buzz team of the week.

Garbin, who recovered from two separate knee injuries during her career, finished 2006 as Oregon’s career leader in goals (34), game-winning goals (22), multi-goal games (6), assists (15), points (83), shots (257) and games played (76).

She was granted a rare sixth-year of eligibility by the NCAA due to medical hardship.

Since her career began in 2001, Oregon posted a 38-33-5 record when she took the field, and was 5-28-5 when she was sidelined by an injury or a red card.

Sweeney, from Pleasanton, Calif., recorded three assists on the season, tops among UO freshmen and second on the team overall. She is just the second Duck named to the West Region freshman team, joining Chalise Baysa from 1998.

After the Ducks were slated for a last-place finish in the preseason coaches poll, Erickson, 33, led Oregon to a number of school records.

Among those were the most wins and Pac-10 wins ever for the Oregon program as the Ducks claimed second place in the conference -- five places higher than they had ever finished previously. The winning record was the first in program history.

Along the way, Oregon set school defensive season records fewest goals allowed (17), lowest goals against average (0.81), fewest points allowed (55) and most shutouts (8).

The team also recorded its first defeat of a ranked team on the road (2-1, No. 24 Arizona) and its 2-1 overtime upset of No. 3 UCLA the last weekend of the regular season was the highest ranked team the Ducks have ever knocked off.

The Puyallup, Wash., native began the season by giving birth to her second child, Taj Makena, just two days before the season opener.

The former three-time MVP at Washington and former Portland State head coach has accumulated a 21-15-3 mark in her two seasons in Eugene.

She is now responsible for 30 percent of Oregon’s 70 wins in the 11-year history of the program.

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