Men’s Soccer Draws Two Against the Bay
Image courtesy of Oregon State Athletics
If ties are like kissing your sister, we might have to have a serious talk with the OSU men’s soccer team, because they keep doing it. The Beavs led in both matches this weekend, but were unable to hold second half leads in either, earning a 1-1 draw with Cal on Thursday night and battling No. 5 Stanford to a 2-2 stalemate on Sunday.
Thursday night’s performance deserved a win, as OSU bombarded the Cal defense all night, firing 22 shots, while the Golden Bears were only able to muster six shots themselves. As has been the case all year, finding the back of the net proved problematic, as only Dante Williams’s 9th minute strike hit home, leading to another patented “Dante Dance” at Lorenz:
Sunday was more of the same, as the Beavs once again out shot the Stanford Cardinal and controlled the play in the middle of the pitch much of the time, only to concede a late equalizer and go away with a share of the game rather than the “upset” victory. Mouhameth Thiam and Clarence Awoudor both netted their first goals of the season in the effort, with Awoudor’s being particularly impressive:
The Beavs have ridiculous talent all over the field, and any day now the results are going to prove it out. OSU has battled three ranked teams (Denver, UCLA, Stanford) over the past two weeks, and didn’t lose to any of them. Coach Boss was on the Beaver Sports Podcast last week and talked about how they integrated 15 new players into the team this season. The team chemistry is probably still a work in progress, and if they’re able to bring it together before the postseason, look out. These guys can play with anyone in the nation, and I can promise you nobody wants to see them show up on their side of the bracket come selection day.
THINGS FOR BEAVER FANS TO GNAW ON:
Props to Beaver Nation for keeping the frenzy going at Lorenz Field all season. Last year for the Cal and Stanford games, 1,172 total fans showed up for the two games. This year, both games drew over 800 people, an attendance increase of almost 45%. Attendance is also up significantly at women’s soccer matches over last year. Soccer has always had a strong following in Portland between the Timbers, Thorns, and to some extent the University of Portland, it’s nice to see that passion starting to spread down I-5 to Corvallis. Keep it up!
I figure the Bebe’s will give you all the content you need about Saturday night’s miracle finish on The Farm for Beaver football, but nothing has made me jump off the couch and run around my house screaming like that since Damian Lillard’s “wave goodbye” 3-pointer eliminated the Oklahoma City Thunder from the playoffs in 2019. It wasn’t the most dominant performance by any means, but the defense did enough to keep us in the game until the offense finally started to get out of its own way in the 4th quarter. OSU generated three plays of 21 yards or more in the final quarter (all for touchdowns) after having zero plays longer than 20 yards in the first three. The only stat that matters is the W, and it went to the Beavs, who are 4-2 and have two consecutive home games before the bye and a chance to be bowl eligible a full week before Halloween.
I love Beaver baseball taking its act on the road around the state during fall ball. Two weekends ago they played Gonzaga in Bend, and this weekend they took on Sacramento State in Medford, and it sounds like the crowds for both were massive. Hopefully the large, enthusiastic crowds for baseball and the Providence Park game for football encourage the athletic department to find unique ways to continue bringing the Beavers to Beaver Nation as I think that might pay dividends in the form of bigger crowds in Corvallis down the line as people who don’t normally get to experience game days get a taste of what it’s like.
