Beavers Conclude 2011 Season At No. 19 Washington
Nov. 8, 2011
CORVALLIS, Ore. - The Oregon State men's soccer team (5-10-2 overall, 3-5-1 Pac-12) closes out its 2011 season when the Beavers travel to play No. 19 Washington (11-4-2, 6-3-0 Pac-12) in the teams' traditional Northwest rivalry game on Friday, Nov. 11 at 7 p.m. In its most recent outings, Oregon State dropped both games of a Southern California swing to San Diego State (3-0) and No. 12 UCLA (1-0, 2 OT) over the weekend of Oct. 28-30. The Beavers have been idle since those two contests as the team's bye week fell at the end of conference play. With the season coming to a close on Friday, Oregon State still has a lot on the line against Washington. With a victory over the Huskies, OSU could earn its first season with two wins over ranked teams since 2005 when it won consecutive games against No. 15 Washington, No. 15 San Diego State and No. 12 UCLA. A win would also be the Beavers' fourth in Pac-12 play this season, the fifth time in 12 seasons that they would have reached that mark. Also, with a Beaver victory and a San Diego State loss against UCLA on Saturday, Oregon State would finish in a tie for third place in the Pac-12, which would tie for the second-highest finish in program history. "It starts off with the fact that we are playing a conference game," Oregon State head coach Steve Simmons said. "That gives it the highest level of importance and then you can start adding the other things - it's our rival, it's a chance to finish off on a high note, it's a chance for these guys to play the way they know they can play and propel momentum going forward." The game will be the 37th meeting between the two schools, with Washington holding a 23-11-2 all-time edge. The Beavers are 4-2 in the last six matchups against the Huskies and have won three of the last four meetings on the road. On Nov. 22 of this season Oregon State downed then-No. 22 Washington, 2-1, in what was the Pac-12 opener for both schools. That victory marked the first time since 2005 that the Beavers had defeated a ranked Huskies side and also upped Oregon State's consecutive seasons with a win over a ranked team to three. The Huskies are coming off an impressive 3-0 road win on Oct. 30 over San Diego State in which Jacob Hustedt scored twice and Charlie Ranahan added another in the team's eighth shutout of the season. Washington, which also had its bye last weekend, owns an 11-4-2 overall record and a 6-3-0 conference mark. The Beavers are the only other team besides Pac-12 champion UCLA to defeat Washington in a league game this season. The Huskies, which are looking to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2007, are led on offense by Brent Richards, who is second in the Pac-12 in both goals (10) and points (25). Goalkeeper Spencer Richey, who has only given up 14 goals in 17 games, leads the league in goals-against average (0.79) and is tied for first in the Pac-12 with eight shutouts. As for the Beavers, junior Roberto Farfan and sophomore Alex Eckerson have both had their best seasons in Corvallis in 2011. The tandem has set career highs in goals, with four each, which leads the team and ties them for ninth in the Pac-12. Farfan's 10 points (4 G, 2 A) matches his total from a year ago and his 20 career points are tops among all active Beavers, while Eckerson's eight points this season also marks a new career high. Also, junior Emery Welshman has seven assists this season, which ties him for the Pac-12 lead and 29th in the nation. With one game still to go, that total puts Welshman in a tie for seventh in single-season history at OSU and is the highest total for a Beaver since Josh Cameron had the same number is 2007. Welshman also leads Oregon State in points (13) and is tied for second in goals (3). His 60 shots this season are second in the Pac-12 and the sixth highest single-season total in program history. Steve Spangler has already cemented himself as one of the top goalkeepers in Oregon State history and will be looking to end his career with a win on Friday night. The senior is third all-time in school history in saves (244), third in solo shutouts (11), sixth all-time in goals-against average (1.62) and also owns two of the top-ten seasons in terms of saves (2010 - 77; 2011 - 68). He needs ten more stops to pass Bryan Hill (1996-99) for second on the all-time list. So far this season, seven of Oregon State's 20 goals and 13 of its 19 assists have come from first-year players (four freshmen and one transfer). In the Pac-12 this season, nine different freshmen have accounted for a total of 13 goals, with the Beavers responsible for four of those 13, courtesy of three different players. Mike Reckmeyer (2), Khiry Shelton and Will Seymore have each found the back of the net in their first year in Corvallis. A product of the Beavers' improved play this season, a number of players have received national recognition for their efforts, namely juniors Emery Welshman and Roberto Farfan. Both were selected to TopDrawerSoccer.com's Men's National Top 100 list which includes the highest ranked college soccer players in the country. Welshman came in at No. 42 and Farfan at No. 92. Will Seymore was also selected as the 91st best freshman in the country in the publications listing of the country's top first-year players. Live stats for the game against the Huskies will be available online via Gametracker at osubeavers.com. Fans can also follow the Oregon State men's soccer team throughout the season by following @OSUBeavers_MSOC on Twitter. Links to stories, photos and much more will be tweeted through the official Twitter page of Oregon State men's soccer. Support Oregon State University Athletics by making your tax deductible donation to the Beaver Athletic Student Fund. For more information follow this link or call 541-737-2370. Former Student-Athletes are invited to join the Varsity O Facebook Page for upcoming Alumni events. Follow Oregon State Athletics On YouTube.
|
|
