"I am disappointed in the score of the game, as we gave up two goals really late when we were pushing three and four forwards ahead trying to get a goal," said head coach Julie Woodward. "In terms of our transition into Division I, this is our third year and it is the best we have ever played against very good teams. "
For the second consecutive contest Kara Kuttler (Redmond, Wash.) got things started with a great drive into the OSU box. She received the ball and flicked it in towards the goal off her head, but the it went just wide. After the early offensive threat, the remainder of the first half was quiet from the Redhawk offense.
The Seattle U defense was put to work in the first period, as the Beavers put a lot of pressure on the backline. Despite Oregon State sending several long balls deep into the Redhawk half, the defense guided by central defenders Nance Hill (Mercer Island, Wash.) and Jordan Salisbury (Federal Way, Wash.) were able to protect the goal until late in the half. At the 36th minute, OSU's Jayne Eadie got the ball at the top of the box. She passed it to Chelsea Buckland on the right side, who shot it into the far post to give Oregon State the 1-0 lead heading into halftime.
In the second half, the Redhawks came out with a lot more command and control over the ball. For a majority of the period, the ball was played in the Oregon State half of the field. While Seattle U kept pushing the ball closer to the OSU box, the Beaver backline was continually able to shutdown Redhawk drives.
After pushing the ball forward for most the half, OSU had a few brief moments where they were able to boot the ball into the Redhawk end of the field. With five minutes remaining in the game, the Beavers' Jenna Richardson received the ball off a deflection from a SU defender and chipped in it over goalkeeper Madison Goverde (Snohomish, Wash.). The goal provided Oregon State with a surge of offensive momentum, as they kept possession of the ball for the final minutes of the game. They added to their lead in the 89th minute, when several Beaver players crowded into the Redhawk box. Melinda Ingalls fired off a shot that Goverde was able to get her hands on; however the ball deflected off the Seattle U 'keeper's gloves and Erin Uchacz followed through to knock in Oregon State's third goal.
Despite the late second half breakdowns, the Redhawks battled extremely hard against their second straight Pac-10 and 2009 NCAA Tournament participant opponent. For Seattle U, several newcomers made strong contributions. Five freshmen earned the start for Seattle U, seeing major contributions from Mary Hill (Mercer Island, Wash.) and Shawna Anderson (Pasco, Wash.). On the defensive end, M. Hill helped take control of the backline alongside veteran defender Salisbury after her sister Nance went down with an injury. Up top, Anderson made several drives into the OSU box and had one of SU's best scoring opportunities in the second half. In the 73rd minute she received the ball outside the 18, but put too much lift on it as it went just above the crossbar.
"It was exciting for me because today we started five freshmen who I think have very bright futures with the program. We have to get back to work this week and have two good games in California, so we don't have much time to dwell on today's loss," concluded Woodward.
The Redhawks will get back to work this week and prepare for their first road weekend of the season. Seattle U will head to Southern California for a pair of contests beginning with a Friday, Aug. 27, match at UC Riverside. Game time is set for 7 p.m. Two days later, SU will head to Irvine, to take on the Anteaters of UC Irvine in a 1 p.m. match.