Oregon State Women's Soccer Preview: What to Expect from the Beavers' Non-Conference Schedule

We're only a few weeks away from the start of the Women's Soccer season, and now that we've taken a look at this year's Beavers, it's time to take a look at who they'll be playing. First up, Oregon State's non-conference schedule.

The Beavers start the year with an exhibition match against Portland State in Hillsboro on August 5th, and while it won't count in the standings it should give some idea of where the team's at. Last year the Vikings were a middle of the pack Big Sky team, and last year the Beavers struggled to beat middle of the pack Big Sky teams, falling to Weber State and tying Idaho State.

Real games start on August 12th, and Oregon State hasn't picked an easy place to start. They'll be in Columbia to take on South Carolina. Last year's Gamecocks weren't a top tier SEC team, but they still managed to make the NCAA Tournament field, falling in the first round against Wake Forest.

The Gamecocks have of course had some turnover since then, but there's enough of the team returning that you have to consider them heavy favorites over the Beavers, especially forward Mackenzie Johnson and midfielder Cuyler Zulauf. They will need a new goalkeeper to replace their main starter Christina Tsaousis, giving Oregon State a point of attack.

After South Carolina, the Beavers will in Nashville to take on Lipscomb on August 16th. The Bisons won the ASUN conference last season, and upset Mississippi State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Bisons have lost a lot of their top scorers, but forward Skylar Cole gives them an attacker to build around, so this will still be a touch match up for the Beavers.

Oregon State's home opener will be August 19th against Bushnell. The Beacons are coming off their best ever season, finishing with a winning record for the first time in school history with a 7-6-4 record. Last year's Beacons were a young team on the rise, and leading scorer Elidia Cervantes Carlos is back for her sophomore season. This isn't going to be a free game for the Beavers.

The Beavers will be back on the road on August 23rd, traveling to Ogden to take on Weber State. The Wildcats beat the Beavers last year in Corvallis 3-2. The Wildcats have had a lot of turnover since 2025, and that team wasn't great, so there's a great chance for Oregon State to get their revenge.

The 2026 edition of the Civil War takes place in Eugene on August 27th. Like the Beavers, the Ducks are coming off a disappointing 2025 season, one where they only won three games. Oregon has been aggressive in the transfer portal, but this is still a team that needs a lot of work, which should make for an interesting game.

The Beavers will take on another former Pac-12 opponent on August 30th, when they host the Washington Huskies. The Huskies were Big 10 champions in 2025, and advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament. Prognosticators seem a bit cool on this year's Huskies, with the team only receiving one vote in the preseason Coaches' Poll, but they're bringing back top goalscorers Alex Buck and Jadyn Holdenreid and goalkeeper Tanner Ijams. There's still plenty of talent here that's going to be tough for the Beavers to deal with.

On September 6th Oregon State gets a rematch against the one non-conference opponent they beat last season, with the Utah Utes coming to Corvallis. In last year's game Utah's Devi Dudley received a red card 18 minutes into the match, and the Beavers capitalized on the advantage to win 2-1. Utah will definitely want some payback this year.

Following that the Beavers will start a series of matches against their former West Coast Conference opponents. They host Seattle on September 10th, travel to Portland on September 13th and host LMU on September 18th. Portland and Seattle finished 3rd and 4th in the WCC last season, while LMU languished in the back half of the standings, but all three comfortably handled the Beavers. This could be a good test of whether the team has progressed since last season.

The non-conference schedule closes with a visit to Eastern Washington. The Eagles had a decent run in the Big Sky last season before falling in the first round of the conference tournament. They've had to replace a lot of departing seniors, but sophomore midfielder Noelle Raczykowski showed a lot of promise her freshman year, and should be the team's centerpiece in 2026.

It's not going to be an easy schedule for the Beavers. It looks tougher than last year's non-conference schedule, and that only produced one win. It's easy to see a situation where Oregon State starts conference play with no wins and a few ties. But there are a few dates where they could pull off a win, with Bushnell, Weber State, and Eastern Washington having the most potential. Maybe they can take down the Ducks if they've taken a big step forward.

Whatever happens, the stage will be set for the debut of the new Pac-12. What can we expect from the conference's women's soccer competition? Check back later this week.

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