I Need You To Go To Tonight's Oregon State Women's Soccer Game

It's been a long season for Oregon State Women's Soccer. Expectations weren't high before the beginning of the season, and after a non-conference stretch that left the team with a 1-8-2 overall record with the team's only win coming over NAIA school Bushnell, the Pac-12 schedule looked like a meat grinder.

The team knew they could be better though. In their second Pac-12 game against San Diego State, the Beavers held a 2-0 lead until the final ten minutes, when a frantic comeback from the Aztecs ended the game in a tie. Just a few days later they battled to another draw, a 3-3 tie against Texas State. Close to victory both times, but that win proved elusive.

They finally got it on October 22nd taking down Fresno State 2-0. They followed that with a 1-0 win over Colorado State. With back to back wins and the earlier pair of ties, the Beavers now find themselves not quite in the Pac-12 playoff race, but not quite out of it.

The top four teams in the conference will qualify for the tournament, and Oregon State is currently in a three way tie for fifth, with eight points. Their final game of the season is against Gonzaga, the team currently in fourth in the standings. Oregon State is going to need some help, but it's not impossible for them to reach the postseason.

But first is tonight's game against Utah State. The Aggies are currently tied for first in the Pac-12, so this game matters to them as well, and they boast the second best goals for and goals allowed in the conference. It's going to be tough for Oregon State, even getting out of the game with a draw would be a huge result for the Beavers.

That's why I need Beaver fans to show up tonight. This team has worked incredibly hard to get where they are, and if you'd seen the agony the team felt after letting a win over San Diego State slip away, you'd know how much they want to deliver for Beaver fans.

Not even program was hit the same by the end of the Pac-12 conference. Football and Men's Basketball got hit hard of course, but those programs have enough cultural cachet that the university attracted some great coaching talent and managed to rebuild. Baseball, women's basketball and men's soccer all have had enough success in recent years that they managed to maintain some consistency.

Women's Soccer didn't really have either. The program has had some good seasons, including four trips to the NCAA tournament, but none recently. The conference collapse provoked and lot of transfers, and the sudden departure of head coach Lauren Sinacola just over a month before the start of the 2024 season caused even more turmoil, with Caroline Kelly stepping up on short notice to take over as the team's interim coach.

Kelly is now in her third season of coaching the Beavers, and while the team has only managed five wins over the past two seasons, there is an identity that's coming together Ava Burdeyny and Mary Hoffman have given the team an exciting pair of freshmen to build around, Ally Larkin has looked great in goal over the past few games, and Evee Stoddard has anchored what's become a pretty stingy defense.

This isn't a great team, and maybe not even a good win, but they're playing with a lot of fire we didn't see last season. They're not going to quit against Utah State, and they're not going to quit against Gonzaga in the regular season finale. So get out there and support them at Paul Lorenz at 6 PM tonight.

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