The Oregon State Beavers finished their Women’s Soccer season with a 0-2 loss against Oregon. The loss finishes an awful season, in which they failed to score against every Pac-12 team, except for their 2-1 victory over California on October 4th.
Following that final defeat, the Oregon State Athletic Department fired coach Linus Rhode. Rhode has been the Beavers’ head coach for the last 11 seasons. During that period, the Beavers reached the NCAA tournament three times, in 2009, 2010, 2011.
The team has struggled since then. Last season, the team finished 6-10-3, with a 3-7-1 conference record. This season represented a further slide. With last weekend’s loss to Oregon, the Beavers finished the season 2-17, and 1-10 in the conference.
The loss to Oregon was emblematic of all the problems Oregon State has had this season. The Beavers managed to generate some offensive pressure, outshooting the Ducks 14-12. Few of the Beavers shots could find their mark, with only 4 on goal, all of which were saved.
Beaver goalie Bridgette Skiba made 4 saves, and allowed 2 goals. Skiba, a Freshman, finished the season with 78 saves, which was third best in the conference.
The Beavers offensive attack was led by Midfiielder Sydney Studer, who made 6 shots, 2 of which were on goal; and Midfielder Diana Santiago, who had 3 shots, 2 on goal. Studer has been one of the more effective offensive weapons for the Beavers this season, with 1 goal and 20 shots. She’s a freshman, so she should be back next year and could be even better.
Allison Pantuso, one of the team’s leaders, also had two shots. Pantuso, a senior, will be one of the hardest players for the Beavers to replace. Pantuso had 1 goal and 12 shots this season, and the team will miss her leadership next year.
Forward McKenzie Weinert, who led the team with 2 goals and 33 shots this season, was quiet this game, with only one shot. Weinert is a Redshirt Freshman, and will hopefully find more opportunities to score next season.
It’s been a hard season for Oregon State, but this team never stopped fighting. Players like Weinert, Studer, and Skiba have a lot of talent, and will only get better from here.
The Beavers are now in the market for a new coach, and probably a whole new coaching staff. They may have to wait a few weeks, as the NCAA postseason is about to get started. When the Beavers do find someone new, we’ll let you know all about them.