Women’s Soccer: Oregon Eyes NCAA Tourney Bid Hosting No. 3 UCLA, USC

Ducks look to secure NCAA tourney bid in final weekend.

Photo: goducks.com

EUGENE - Already assured of a top five finish in the Pac-10, Oregon returns to Pape’ Field to host No. 3 UCLA on Friday and USC on Sunday looking to solidify its NCAA Tournament credentials.

The Oregon Sports Network will show Oregon’s game versus the Pac-10 leading Bruins on a delayed basis Saturday at 5:00 PM and Sunday at 8:00 AM on Comcast Cable 14 in the state of Oregon.

Seniors Honored:

Four seniors -- student manager and former player Kate Nelson, goalkeeper Emily Marrer, midfielder Rachel Grushkin and forward Nicole Garbin will be honored in a pre-game ceremony prior to Sunday’s game with USC.

Tourney Time:

Oregon has a number of things working in its favor in terms of the NCAA Tournament, the field for which will be announced Monday at noon PST. Some things to consider:

* Oregon has guaranteed itself its first ever winning record in Pac-10 play. Since the field expanded to 64 teams in 2001, every team with a winning record in Pac-10 play has received a bid to the NCAA Tournament, with one exception. In 2004, Arizona State went 4-3-2 in the Pac-10, but was ineligible for the NCAA Tournament, due to its sub-.500 8-9-2 overall record.

* The Pac-10 has sent at least five teams to the NCAA Tournament in each of the last six seasons.

* The Ducks are currently in third place in the conference and can finish no lower than third with one win this weekend. The top three teams in the Pac-10 have received bids to the NCAA Tournament in each of the last eight seasons.

Chatfield Notches Shutout Mark:

Goalkeeper Jessie Chatfield became the Ducks’ all-time leader in shutouts, notching the 12th of her career in the 0-0 Oct. 27th shutout of California. The sophomore from Eugene, Ore., moved ahead of Amanda Fox, who recorded 11 shutouts in 75 career games from 1996-99. Chatfield broke the school record in just her 31st appearance in net.

Records, Accomplishments, Etc:

Just like last year at this time, the sheer volume of records and accomplishments set by the 2006 squad is becoming overwhelming. Here’s a list, that will likely keep growing through the weekend:

School Single-Season Records Set (or likely to be set) in 2006:

* 10 Wins (previous record 9, 2003, 2005)

* 4 Pac-10 Wins (previous record 3, 1998, 1999, 2003)

* 3 Game Pac-10 Winning Streak (previous record 2, three times)

* 6 Game Pac-10 Unbeaten Streak (previous record 2, four times)

* 5 Road Wins (previous record 4, 2003, 2005)

* 8 Shutouts (previous record 7, 2005)

* 0.80 Goals Allowed Average (on pace to break the record of 1.36, 1999)

* 15 Goals Allowed (on pace to break the record of 27, 1999)

* 58 Points Allowed (on pace to break the record of 77, 1999, 2001)

* 188 Shots Allowed (on pace to break the record of 211, 1999)

* 8 Consecutive Games Scoring a Goal, 9/3/06-9/29/06 (ties previous mark, 1997, 2005)

* 3 Game Road Winning Streak (ties previous mark, 2005)

* 3 Game Road Unbeaten Streak -- twice in 2006 (ties previous mark, 2005)

* 227 Fouls (on pace to break the record of 227, 2005)

Single Game Records:

* 1:04 Shortest Time Between Goals, 9/10/06 vs. Iona (previous mark 1:11, 2002)

* 1 Fewest Shots Allowed, 9/24/06 vs. Idaho (previous mark 2, Oklahoma, 1996)

Accomplishments:

* First Winning Season in School History

* First Winning Pac-10 Record in School History

* First Road Defeat (and second overall) of NSCAA Top 25 Team (2-1 vs. No. 24 Arizona, 10/6/06)

* Highest Pac-10 Finish -- no lower than fifth (previous best 7th, four times)

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