Beavers Face Portland in Regular Season Finale

PORTLAND, Ore. – Oregon State women's soccer will remain in-state for its next game, facing the Portland Pilots on Saturday at Merlo Field.

Oregon State Beavers at Portland
Date: Saturday, Nov. 9
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Merlo Field – Portland, Ore.
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: Stat Broadcast

SCOUTING THE PILOTS:
The Portland Pilots are 8-5-6 this season, which includes a 3-3-3 record during conference play; UP is coming off a 1-0 road loss at Gonzaga last weekend. The Pilot attack is led by Cally Togiai's six goals and four assists, while Hailey Still has seven goals this season. As a team Portland has scored 35 goals this season, a combined 14 of which came against Stonehill and Division III side George Fox. Portland does feature one of the best goalkeepers in the conference, as Bre Norris leads the WCC with a save percentage of 81.7 while ranking second in total saves and second in goals against average (0.96).

EARLY OPPORTUNITIES:
The offense was rolling early against Washington State, creating a number of chances. When a McKenna Martinez shot was saved in the 18^th minute, OSU held a 5-3 advantage in total shots, which included a 3-0 edge in shots on goal. After conceding in the 36^th, OSU was mere inches from leveling in the 38^th minute, but a shot was saved off the line after a scramble in the box. In the 61^st, off a corner kick, the Cougars saved another shot off the line that even deflected off the woodwork but bounced out.

Carly Carraher (four shots, two on goal) and Martinez (three shots, one on goal) both played the full 90 and led the Beaver attack, which finished with nine attempts on goal in the game.

PUNISHING MISTAKES:
The game-winning goal against No. 11 Santa Clara came off the foot of Paola Figueroa after some heads-up play. An Aidan Brown run in behind the Bronco defense forced a clearance, but the SCU goalkeeper had come off her line and the clearance, a low ball towards the sideline, was played right to the feet of Figueroa, who hit it one-time from outside the box and found the net in the 68^th minute.

Already the team-leader in assists with four, Figueroa's goal was her first as a Beaver and put an exclamation point on a tremendous junior season that has featured 15 starts across all 17 games. All six of her points this season have come during conference play.

POTW (x2):
For the second time this season, Oregon State goalkeeper Mya Sanchez was named Credit Union 1 West Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Week. Sanchez played a huge role in Saturday's game against Santa Clara, making a career-best nine saves while stopping 90% of the shots she faced across 90 minutes played in an upset win over the 11^th-ranked Broncos.

Including Wednesday's game at WSU, Sanchez is up to a conference-leading 87 saves this season, while her average of 5.12 is also the top mark in the conference. Her season save percentage, 77.7, ranks third.

SCORING IS FUN:
Interim Head Coach Caroline Kelly's first season leading the program has seen improvements on both sides of the ball for Oregon State, especially within the attack. After scoring 16 goals in 2023 and converting 6.8% of the team's 12.3 shots per game into goals, the Beavers have found the net 22 times this season at a conversion rate of 10.2%, with one game still to be played this regular season.

The improved offense equates to a 37.5% increase in goals scored.

DEFENSIVE IMPROVEMENTS:
OSU has proven to be one of the best defenses in the conference down the stretch of the season. After struggling early in the year and conceding 15 goals in the first seven games, which included three games with three or more allowed, Oregon State has allowed just nine goals in its last nine games, which ranks third lowest in the conference.

Both Santa Clara and Pepperdine entered the game averaging over two goals per game and boasted the most potent attacks in the conference, but the Beaver defense has held both offenses to just one goal apiece. Pepperdine scored on a penalty kick and Santa Clara an own goal, before the Cougars found the first goal scored against OSU from the run of play since a matchup against Loyola Marymount on Oct. 23.

NOT OVER YET:
Though Wednesday's loss made the road to the top a little bumpier, Oregon State is not out of the hunt for the West Coast Conference Championship. Santa Clara and Pepperdine are sitting in a tie for first with 18 points, while OSU is tied with LMU for third with 17. LMU holds the tiebreaker over Oregon State though the Beavers hold a tiebreaker over Santa Clara.

To win the conference championship, it starts by beating the Pilots on Saturday and combining those three points with draws or losses by the three teams ahead of OSU in the standings, which would see the Beavers win with 20 points.

A win is a requirement, as a draw and losses by all teams higher up in the standings would put OSU back in a tie with Pepperdine and Santa Clara. In this scenario, OSU would surpass SCU thanks to last Saturday's win, but a 1-1 draw against Pepperdine brings up the next tiebreaker, goal differential in conference games; the Waves enter this weekend's action plus-10 against WCC opponents while OSU is plus-six.

OUR MISSION:
Oregon State Athletics strives to Build Excellent Authentic Visionary Student-Athletes (Go BEAVS).

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Players Mentioned

Aidan Brown

Carly Carraher

Paola Figueroa

McKenna Martinez

Mya Sanchez