Through five games of 2022, Oregon State Women’s Soccer is still unbeaten. Coach Lauren Sinacola’s side has won three and drawn two, most recently defeating Boise State 2-0 at Paul Lorenz Field on Thursday night (fingers crossed the football team keeps this theme going this weekend). 

A couple themes have emerged over the course of these games, which may reveal the character of this team and what we can expect from them this season. 1) this team fights like hell and will take positive results from difficult situations, and 2) McKenna Martinez is even better than advertised. 

Goalkeepers beware, when you see that number 19 rolling up you’re probably about to get scored on. 

“Obviously (McKenna) had an outstanding season last year,” Coach Sinacola said. “One thing that we have been talking to her about and that she is understanding, owning and honing in on is that she’s going to have a target on her back. Everyone’s scouting report is going to say, ‘We have to take McKenna out of the game.’ She’s ready for it. She’s ready for the physicality. She’s ready for the challenge.”

Martinez’s 12 goals as a freshman led the Beavers’ attack and finished tied for third in the Pac 12. Any fears of a sophomore slump from the Richland, Washington product have been put to rest. Martinez has five goals through five games and her two braces on the season have her tied for fifth in multi-goal games in school history. 

It’s not just that she’s scoring goals, however, it’s how she’s scoring goals. Whether it’s with the right foot, left foot, inside the box, outside the box, whatever, when No. 19 strikes the ball you can cancel Christmas. 

“One thing she truly focused on this offseason was how to really be an efficient goal scorer at the college level,” Sinacola said. “You can’t just kick it as hard as you can every single time. You have to place things. You have to play the percentages. When you have the attention, can you bounce it off somebody to get it back instead of trying to out-dribble everybody.

“She’s really grown in that area. You look at the two goals she scored against Wyoming, (the first) was off the far post, it was placed, it was against the grain, and the second one was a low, driven shot in the low corner. She’s picking places out, which is only going to help her be more successful in finding the back of the net.”

It would appear when Martinez picks a place out, then that’s where the ball’s going to go. No matter how impossible the angle might be or how well the goalkeeper plays it. Her second goal against Boise State and her strike to open the scoring against Fresno State were both absolute stunners to behold. 

I simply cannot overemphasize the reaction we had to this golazo in Fresno in the Belligerent Beavs group chat. The goal itself is off the screen. McKenna had two Bulldog defenders on her who probably felt comfortable giving her a little bit of space in the spot because they appropriately thought scoring from there would be impossible, and I don’t blame them! I wouldn’t have believed it possible either until I saw Martinez’s golden left foot sweep through the ball and curl it into the side-netting.

The video below currently has about two thousand views and it should have two million. About half of those views are from the three of us as we debated the physics and just how in the hell such a strike can exist.

The goal that sealed the 2-0 result against the Broncos is just as impressive as well. Another impossible angle, another perfectly-placed strike (this one with the right foot) to the far post, another goalkeeper in decent position and simultaneously completely helpless. Wow. Just, wow.

While we’re not here to put any Oregon State athletes in boxes, and we’d rather let their own careers and stories play out before throwing out wild comparisons, it’s hard not to see the shades of Alex Morgan in some of these goals. “That’s some Alex Morgan shit!” Is the exact thing I yelled the second I saw the Fresno State goal. I showed the goal to my co-worker the next morning and her exact words were '“Wow that’s some Alex Morgan shit!”

I know!

McKenna Martinez has officially declared war on the side-netting and we are 100% here for it!