OSU shows improvement by the numbers
December 9, 1998
Oregon State (6-12-1 overall, 1-8-0 Pacific-10) showed plenty of signs that it was returning to a competitive level in women's soccer in 1998. Steve Fennah's first year as head coach ended with the Beavers tripling the number of victories they had posted a year earlier, and OSU finished ninth in the Pacific-10 to move out of the conference cellar.
"When we sit down in a day or so, we'll feel good about the improvement we made," Fennah said shortly after the Beavers ended their season. "When all is said and done, we'll feel okay."
Oregon State was able to wipe some ugly streaks off the ledger. During the season, the Beavers ended a 19-game Pacific-10 losing streak, a 14-game winless streak, and a 15-game road winless streak.
The Beavers also put together some positive streaks of their own. OSU put together its first back-to-back wins in over two years and also managed its first consecutive shutouts in almost three years.
Besides the jump in their win total, the Beavers could show their improvement over 1997 in several other numbers.
The number of goals OSU scored jumped from 15 to 20, and the number of goals allowed fell from 55 to 51. After being shut out 11 times in 1997, OSU cut that to eight this fall. The number of times the Beavers shut out their opponents was doubled, from two in 1997 to four this fall.
Those are better numbers, but they're still not what the Beavers want to see at the end of a season.
"I told the players, nowe we've got to go work hard" in the off-season, Fennah said. "Because working hard is the only thing that will take us where we want to go."
OREGON STATE HEAD COACH STEVE FENNAH: Steve Fennah had a 6-12-1 record in his first season as Oregon State's head coach. He spent the previous 5 years at Jesuit High in Beaverton, Ore. Fennah guided Jesuit to 4 straight Oregon Class 4A state titles in his final 4 seasons at the school. After leading the Crusaders to an 84-2-6 record and top-8 national rankings in each of his 5 seasons at Jesuit, he was named head coach at OSU on Feb. 6, 1998.
OREGON STATE ALL-LEAGUE PICKS: Oregon State did not have any players selected to the All-Pacific-10 Conference team. Oregon State did have eight players earn conference all-academic honors, though.
Co-captains Lindy Brown and Jona Maukonen were named to the first team and six other Beavers were also honored when the Pacific-10 Conference announced its All-Academic team. Coray Calhoun, Sunny Miller, Elizabeth Pease and Beth Thomason were all named to the second team and Allison Hamada and Coral Slater earned honorable mention.
It was the third time on the team for Brown and the second time for Maukonen and Thomason. With the eight selections, OSU tied California for most players honored; all eight Golden Bears earned honorable mention.
Brown, a senior forward from Tualatin, Ore., is majoring in Sociology and has a 3.38 grade point average. This fall, she scored a team-high 20 points on 8 goals and 4 assists.
Maukonen, a senior midfielder from Medford, Ore. is majoring in Environmental Science and has a grade point average of 3.64. This fall, she had 8 points on 3 goals and 2 assists.
Calhoun, a junior defender from Jacksonville, Ore., is majoring in General Science and has a grade point average of 3.53.
Miller, a junior forward from Corvallis, Ore., is majoring in Business Management Information Systems and has a grade point average of 3.31.
Pease, a sophomore goalkeeper from Sacramento, Calif., is majoring in Biology and has a grade point average of 3.38.
Thomason, a junior midfielder from Portland, Ore., is majoring in General Science/Pre-Physical Therapy and has a grade point average of 3.60.
Hamada, a sophomore from Aiea, Hawaii, is majoring in Nutrition and has a grade point average of 3.07.
Slater, a junior from San Diego, Calif., is majoring in Psychology and has a grade point average of 3.13.
PACIFIC-10 LEADERS: Oregon State among the Pacific-10 leaders at the end of the regular season:
INDIVIDUAL POINTS Name Gls. Asts. Pts. 9 (tie). Lindy Brown 8 4 20 25 (tie). Sunny Miller 5 1 11 INDIVIDUAL GOALS Name Gls. 8 (tie). Lindy Brown 8 INDIVIDUAL ASSISTS Name Asts. 10 (tie). Lindy Brown 4 INDIVIDUAL GOALKEEPING Name GAA 9. Elizabeth Pease 2.15 INDIVIDUAL SAVES Name Svs. 3. Elizabeth Pease 116 TEAM SCORING Team Gls. Asts. Pts. 10. Oregon State 20 17 57 TEAM GOALKEEPING Team GAA 9. Oregon State 2.14
BEAVER NEWCOMERS: Besides having a new head coach this fall, Oregon State also had plenty of new players. Of the 23 players on this fall's roster, 11 weren't on the 1997 Beaver roster. The newcomers included 8 freshmen and 3 transfers from 4-year colleges.
NATIONALLY-RANKED OPPONENTS: Oregon State had 2 games against teams ranked in the final National Soccer Coaches Association of America poll. The Beavers lost 4-1 at 21st-ranked Southern California on Oct. 23 and 4-1 at 23rd-ranked UCLA on Oct. 25.
OSU'S MID-VALLEY PLAYERS: Oregon State didn't have to look far to fill many of its roster spots. There were 4 Beavers who played at nearby high schools: junior forward Sunny Miller (Crescent Valley), junior midfielder Aubrey Robbins (Philomath), sophomore defender Libby Christensen (Corvallis) and sophomore goalkeeper Wendy Matson (Philomath).
LINDY BROWN: Senior forward Lindy Brown (Tualatin, Ore./Tualatin HS) continued to move up Oregon State's career lists in scoring, goals and assists ... this season, 20 points on 8 goals, 4 assists, 42 shots ... career, 54 points on 20 goals, 14 assists ... among OSU career leaders, tied for fourth in scoring, tied for fifth in assists, fifth in goals ... among OSU single-season leaders, tied for seventh in goals, eighth in scoring ... among Pacific-10 leaders, tied for eighth in goals, tied for ninth in scoring, tied for 10th in assists ... goals in 3 of 4 games from Oct. 16-25 ... 1 goal in 4-1 loss at UCLA on Oct. 25 ... 1 goal in 4-1 loss at Southern California on Oct. 23 ... 1 goal in 2-1 overtime loss to Washington State on Oct. 16 ... scoring binge against Idaho and Montana; 2 goals in 2-0 win over Idaho on Sept. 30 and 1 assist in 1-1 tie with Montana on Oct. 2 ... 1 assist in 2-0 win over Eastern Washington on Sept. 26 ... 1 goal in 3-0 win over Gonzaga on Sept. 18 ... 2 goals and 2 assists in OSU's 2 games at Cal State-Fullerton Tournament; 1 goal and 2 assists in 4-1 win over Cal State-Fullerton on Sept. 7, 1 goal in 5-1 loss to Cal-Irvine on Sept. 5.
SUNNY MILLER: Junior forward Sunny Miller (Corvallis, Ore./Crescent Valley HS) began realizing her potential as a scorer ... this season, 11 points on 5 goals, 1 assist, 19 shots ... career, 20 points on 8 goals, 4 assists ... among Pacific-10 leaders, tied for 25th in scoring ... had 2 multi-goal games ... 2 goals in 2-0 win over Eastern Washington on Sept. 26 ... 1 assist in 1-0 win over Idaho State on Sept. 27 ... 1 goal in 3-0 win over Gonzaga on Sept. 18 ... 2 goals in 4-1 win over Cal State-Fullerton on Sept. 7.
ELIZABETH PEASE: Sophomore goalkeeper Elizabeth Pease (Sacramento, Calif./St. Francis HS) kept OSU in position to win many of its games this fall ... this season, 2.15 goals-against average, 3 shutouts, 1 shared shutout, 116 saves, 42 goals in 1,757 minutes ... career, 2.39 goals-against average, 3 shutouts, 2 shared shutouts, 130 saves, 51 goals in 1,922 minutes ... among OSU career leaders, third in saves ... among OSU single-season leaders, second in saves ... among Pacific-10 leaders, third in saves, ninth in goals-against average ... blanked Eastern Washington (2-0 win), Idaho State (1-0 win) and Idaho (2-0 win) in consecutive games from Sept. 26-30 ... string of 388 scoreless minutes that spanned parts of 5 games from Sept. 23-Oct. 2 ... missed a fourth shutout by only 8 minutes when backup Wendy Matson got some playing time in a 3-0 win over Gonzaga on Sept 18 ... came up big against Montana on Oct. 2, making 16 saves in a 1-1 tie.
OSU CAREER, SEASON LEADERS: Where current OSU players stand on the school's career and season lists through Nov. 2:
CAREER POINTS Name Gls. Asts. Pts. 1. Jenna Leavitt (1990, 92-94) 31 23 85 2. Val Williams (1994-95) 34 16 84 3. Kela Hinds (1988-90) 26 17 69 4. Jeanette Scotti (1993-96) 21 12 54 (tie) Lindy Brown (1995-present) 20 14 54 CAREER GOALS Name Gls. 1. Val Williams (1994-95) 34 2. Jenna Leavitt (1990, 92-94) 31 3. Kela Hinds (1988-90) 26 4. Jeanette Scotti (1993-96) 21 5. Lindy Brown (1995-present) 20 6. Karey Dyson (1993-96) 17 7. Chellie Kennedy (1988-91) 14 8. Cacey Zimmer (1990-93) 13 9. Dionne Richardson (1989-92) 10 (tie) Jona Maukonen (1995-present) 10 CAREER ASSISTS Name Asts. 1. Jenna Leavitt (1990, 92-94) 23 2. Kela Hinds (1988-90) 17 (tie) Cacey Zimmer (1990-93) 17 4. Val Williams (1994-95) 16 5. Lindsay Allori (1994-97) 14 (tie) Lindy Brown (1995-present) 14 SEASON POINTS Name Gls. Asts. Pts. 1. Val Williams (1994) 19 9 47 2. Val Williams (1995) 15 7 37 3. Jenna Leavitt (1993) 12 6 30 4. Kela Hinds (1988) 10 9 29 5. Karissa Pederson (1988) 9 6 24 (tie) Kela Hinds (1989) 10 4 24 (tie) Jenna Leavitt (1994) 8 8 24 8. Lindy Brown (1998) 8 4 20 SEASON GOALS Name Gls. 1. Val Williams (1994) 19 2. Val Williams (1995) 15 3. Jenna Leavitt (1993) 12 4. Kela Hinds (1988) 10 (tie) Kela Hinds (1989) 10 6. Karissa Pederson (1988) 9 7. Jenna Leavitt (1994) 8 (tie) Lindy Brown (1998) 8 CAREER SAVES (No save records kept until 1993) Name Saves 1. Michelle Mitchell (1993-96) 347 2. Kristen Dulacki (1994-97) 145 3. Elizabeth Pease (1997-present) 130 SEASON SAVES (No save records kept until 1993) Name Saves 1. Kristen Dulacki (1997) 128 2. Elizabeth Pease (1998) 116
FIRST-HALF WOES: Oregon State might have liked to just skip the first half of its games this season. The Beavers were outscored 28-9 in the first 45 minutes, but only 12-11 in the second half.
STOPPING NEGATIVE STREAKS, CREATING POSITIVE ONES: Oregon State terminated some rather lengthy, rather unpleasant streaks already this season. The Beavers also put together some positive streaks of their own.
OSU's 3-1 win over Arizona on Nov. 1 ended a 19-game Pacific-10 losing streak that dated back to a 4-0 home win over Arizona on Oct. 6, 1996.
The Beavers' 4-1 win at Cal State-Fullerton on Sept. 7 ended a 14-game winless streak; OSU had recorded 13 losses and 1 tie since beating Eastern Washington 6-0 at home on Sept. 27, 1997. It also ended a 15-game winless streak in road contests; the Beavers hadn't won on an opponent's home field since a 3-1 victory at Arizona on Sept. 29, 1995 (OSU had managed wins on neutral fields during that time). OSU made the most of its scoring chances against the Titans. The Beavers were outshot 18-5, but scored on their first 4 shots to overcome a 1-0 deficit.
OSU beat Eastern Washington 2-0 on Sept. 26 and Idaho State 1-0 on Sept. 27. The back-to-back wins were OSU's first since a 3-game winning streak over Portland State, Fresno State and Cal State-Sacramento from Sept. 22-29, 1996. The wins also marked OSU's first consecutive shutouts since blanking Arkansas and California by 2-0 scores on Oct. 9-13, 1995.
OSU extended its winning streak and shutout streak to 3 with a 2-0 win at Idaho on Sept. 30; OSU hadn't had 3 straight shutouts since the Beavers had 5 in a row in the middle of the 1993 season.
LORENZ FIELD AT VALLEY STADIUM: Oregon State's soccer facility, Paul Lorenz Field at Patrick Wayne Valley Stadium, provides soccer enthusiasts with one of the top places to both play and watch the sport on the West Coast. The main seating section, located on the west sideline, has a capacity of approximately 1,000. It rises well above field level and puts most fans near midfield to get a better picture of what is happening on the pitch.
This fall, the media and statistics crews will also enjoy a better vantage point as they begin using the press box behind the back row of the west sideline seats.
Smaller sections of seats and standing room areas now circle the rest of the field, bringing capacity to approximately 1,500.
OSU is 8-17-0 at Lorenz Field at Valley Stadium, which opened for the 1996 season.
The stadium is located a block southeast of Parker Stadium, just south of the intersection of 17th Street and Western Boulevard.
OSU ON TELEVISION: Oregon State had a game this fall televised on Fox Sports Northwest. The Nov. 1 home game against Arizona, a 3-1 Beaver win, was shown by tape delay.
WOMEN'S SOCCER TICKETS: All tickets for Oregon State women's soccer games are sold on a general admission basis. They are priced at $5 for adults and $3 for senior citizens age 62 and over and students high school age and under. OSU students are admitted free with an all-sports pass or for $1 with their OSU student identification card.
Local Bi-Mart stores have coupons good for 2 admissions for the price of 1 for OSU women's soccer games.
Women's soccer is also part of the OSU 7-Sport Pass, which is good for general admission seating at all home contests in men's and women's soccer, volleyball, wrestling, gymnastics, women's basketball and baseball. The 7-sport pass is $130 for a family pass that admits 2 adults and 2 children; $80 for an adult pass; and $60 for a pass for senior citizens or students through high school.
Members of the Junior Benny Beaver Club are also admitted free to all women's soccer games with their club membership card.
OSU SPORTS INFORMATION: More information on Oregon State women's soccer, interview requests, photographs and game credentials can be obtained by calling Kip Carlson in the Oregon State University Sports Information Office at (541) 737-7472. For interviews, please call at least 24 hours in advance. For game credentials, please call early because press box space is limited.
