Beavers Face Winless Vikings Sunday

GAME #11 - Sunday at Lorenz Field: Oregon State (6-2-2) vs. Portland State (0-8-1, hosts Oregon on Friday) at 1:00 PM.

OSU Women's Soccer Photo: OSU Athletics

CORVALLIS - LOOKING AHEAD: - The Oregon State women’s soccer team plays its final non-conference game of the season with a home contest against Portland State on Sunday. A win would give the Beavers their best non-conference record since 2002.

SCOUTING PORTLAND STATE: - OSU is 5-3-1 all-time against Portland State. However, the Vikings have won the last two meetings (2003 and 2004), both in Corvallis.

Last year’s contest was cancelled when traffic problems on I-5 prevented the Beavers from reaching Portland in time to play the game. Seven of the nine meetings have been in Corvallis (OSU is 4-3 in those games). The Vikings have been outscored 17-1 this season, and freshman forward Dolly Enneking has their only goal. The tie came against Ball State.

LAST WEEK: - OSU had a very successful three-game road trip through the state of New York. Last Tuesday, the Beavers beat St. John’s (ranked #8 in the Northeast Region), 1-0, on Emily Henshaw’s first college goal in the 78th minute. On Friday, Jessica Velazquez’s 89th-minute goal forced overtime at Long Island, and the two teams settled for a 1-1 tie. Long Island extended its home unbeaten streak to 21 games. OSU ended with a 1-0 win at Army, as Jodie Taylor scored in the 61st minute. Goalkeeper Melissa Onstad surrendered only one goal in 290 minutes.

COACH FENNAH SAYS: - “I feel we had a very successful road trip. We played in three difficult environments, for very different reasons, and we adapted to the conditions and found a way to get some good results. Now we’re getting ready for Portland State, and in-state rivalries are always tricky games. We really have to prepare well and go in with the right attitude to get the result we want.”

OFFENSIVE NUMBERS: - Through 10 games, the Beavers are averaging 1.90 goals per game, which if it keeps up, would be quite an improvement over last year’s 1.26 goals per game. OSU brought in several attack-minded freshmen to improve the offense, and they have done well, scoring 10 of the 19 goals and providing five of the 18 assists. Ten different players (six of them freshmen) have already scored a goal (only five players scored a goal all last year).

DEFENSIVE NUMBERS: - OSU’s defense has been very good thus far, with a 0.77 goals-against average (eight goals allowed in 10 games) and five shutouts. Six of the eight goals given up have been to 2005 NCAA Tournament teams.

RECORDS WATCH: - Jodie Taylor is working her way up several career records lists. She has career totals of 13 game-winning goals (tied for first), 30 goals (third), 75 points (third) and 15 assists (seventh). She needs one goal to tie for second and four to tie for first all-time at OSU. She needs nine points to tie for second and 10 to tie for first. She needs one assist to move into the top five. Taylor’s seven assists this season are already a career high and are tied for fourth on OSU’s single-season list. With each shutout, Melissa Onstad extends her own school record, which currently stands at 24 solo shutouts.

PAC-10 STATS: - The Beavers are third in the Pac-10 in goals per game (1.90) and seventh in goals-against average (0.77) ... Jodie Taylor leads the conference in points (17), assists (seven, tied) and shots (41) and is tied for second in goals, along with teammate Jessica Velazquez, with five each ... Melissa Onstad is fifth in goals-against average (0.68) and tied for second in shutouts (five).

2006 HONORS: — Najma Homidi, Red Nixon and Jodie Taylor were named to the WSU Cougar Classic all-tournament team ... Jessica Velazquez was named Offensive MVP and Nixon was named Defensive MVP of the OSU Nike Invitational. They were joined on the all-tournament team by Homidi, Taylor, Melissa Peck and Kelsey Provo ... Taylor was the Offensive MVP of the OSU Soccer Classic and Monica Storm was the Defensive MVP.

They were joined on the all-tournament team by Velazquez, Sophie Clough and Melissa Onstad. In addition to her Offensive MVP honors, Taylor was named to the Soccer Buzz Team of the Week for three-goal, three-assist weekend against Iona and New Hampshire.

JODIE TAYLOR: - Junior forward Jodie Taylor is well on her way to becoming OSU’s most prolific player ever. This season, she has five goals and seven assists for a team-high 17 points. At one point this season, she had a goal or an assist on eight straight Beaver goals.

She has had a hand in 12 of OSU’s 19 goals this season. Taylor already is tied for first in school history in game-winning goals (13) and is third in goals (30) and points (75) and seventh in assists (15). When she scores a goal, OSU’s record is 17-6, and when she scores a point, OSU’s record is 21-6-2. She has been named to three all-tournament teams in 2006.

Taylor is a two-time All-Pac-10 first team selection (the only player ever to earn that honor twice at Oregon State) and a two-time All-West Region selection, in addition to being named a 2004 Freshman All-American and the Pac-10 Freshman of the Year. She is also a member of England’s U-21 National Team, and played this summer with the Boston Renegades in the W-League.

NEW STARLETS: - Several true freshmen are seeing extensive playing time this year and have played a big part in OSU’s early-season success. Six of the more prominent ones (all of whom have scored a goal this season) are defender Sophie Clough, forward Emily Henshaw, midfielder Najma Homidi, defender/midfielder Loretta “Red” Nixon, midfielder

Melissa Peck and forward Jessica Velazquez. Clough has started all 10 games on the back line and scored a goal against New Hampshire. Henshaw scored the game-winning goal at St. John’s in the 78th minute. Homidi scored a goal on a header against UAB and has made two all-tournament teams.

Nixon was the Defensive MVP of the OSU Nike Invitational, made two all-tournament teams and scored a goal against New Hampshire. Peck scored the Beavers’ goal against UNLV and had two assists against UAB. Velazquez had the game-winning goal in back-to-back games against Northern Colorado and UAB and was the Offensive MVP of the OSU Nike Invitational, then had goals in the next two games. She is one of only seven OSU players ever to score a goal in as many as four consecutive games.

MELISSA ONSTAD: - Senior Melissa Onstad already holds most of OSU’s goalkeeping records and will be looking to add to her legacy. A four-year starter and a co-captain, she entered the season as the school’s all-time leader in goals-against average (1.09). Her 24 solo shutouts are also a school record. In 2006, she has a 0.68 goals-against average and 33 saves in 10 starts.

RETURNING DEFENDERS: - The Beavers tied a school record by surrendering only 22 goals last season. All of the starters are back, but unfortunately, senior co-captain Alison Vislay will likely miss the entire season due to a knee injury suffered in the spring. Still, OSU boasts a formidable back line with the other returning players: junior Monica Storm, a former U.S. youth national team member; senior Lauren Wippel and sophomore McKenna Martindale.

RETURNING ATTACKERS: - Junior Whitney Goodell has seen a great deal of time with Taylor up front. She began 2006 with a goal against Gonzaga. However, she broke a foot against UAB and is out for approximately six weeks. Junior Jetta Sadusky did very well after transferring in last year from Nebraska, and she has three assists this season.

The Beavers boast two four-year players in the central midfield in seniors Jen Crump and Kelli Washburn. Sophomore Kelsey Provo scored the first two goals of her career against UAB. Sophomore Julie Arredondo has a goal and an assist.

EXPERIENCE: - Nine of last year’s 11 starters have returned (although one is injured), and 13 letterwinners are back off of last year’s team that went 10-8-1 overall and 3-5-1 in the Pac-10 for eighth place. Returning players accounted for 83% of last year’s goals, as well as 73% of the assists and 80% of the points. There are 10 newcomers on the 25-woman roster.

HEAD COACH STEVE FENNAH :- Ninth-year head coach Steve Fennah became the school’s all-time winningest coach in 2004. He’s led OSU to three 10-win seasons in the last five years, and the Beavers achieved their first national ranking in a decade in 2005. Fennah, a native of Wales, has had 58 Pac-10 All-Academic selections in his first eight years.

LORENZ FIELD AT VALLEY STADIUM: - OSU’s home since 1996, Lorenz Field at Valley Stadium is one of the nicest fields on the West Coast. It seats 1,500 fans and has an enclosed press box on the west sideline. Lights have been added in 2006, giving more fans the opportunity to attend night games. The Beavers are 49-50-3 playing on Lorenz Field, and are 16-6-1 since the start of the 2004 season. There is no charge for admission to OSU soccer games.

A BAD DAY: - Freshman defender Sophie Clough’s flight from England to the United States to join up with the Beavers was scheduled the day that the London airline terror plot was foiled in early August; the airline lost some of her baggage and she went through long delays.

UP NEXT: - The Beavers begin Pac-10 play in the state of Arizona for the second straight year. OSU is at Arizona State on Friday, Oct. 6th, and at Arizona on Sunday, Oct. 8th.

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