Box Score
PORTLAND, Ore. --- The Oregon State Beavers scored on a corner kick in the 25th minute and would hold on for a 1-0 win over the Portland Pilots in a non-conference women’s soccer game played on Monday night at Merlo Field. The Pilots out-shot the Beavers 9-3 on the night, which included a 5-1 edge in shots on-goal.
But the Beavers got the job defensively to open the season at 2-0-0. The Pilots, who registered a win over No. 4 North Carolina at home on Friday night, drop to 1-1-0.
The Pilots were forced to play from behind after the Beavers jumped ahead 1-nil when Brandi Dawson found the back of the net on a corner kick from Megan Miller. The header from Dawson did deflect off a Portland defender before going in.
The Pilots would then end the first half with a flurry of activity, with freshman Noelle La Prevotte taking a crack from the top of the 18-yard box that forced Oregon State goalkeeper Audrey Bernier-Larose to make a diving save near the right post. Moments later junior Micaela Capelle put two attempts on-target, but again Bernier-Larose was there to make a pair of stops.
The second half began much like the first half ended with the Pilots applying pressure in the final third of the field. Portland’s best chance came when Amanda Frisbie found herself with possession and only Bernier-Larose in front of her. But the Oregon State keeper came off her line to deflect the Frisbie shot wide of the goal.
From there the Oregon State defense packed it in and denied the Pilots any more shots the rest of the way.
OSU attempted two shots before the half and just one more after the break. The Beavers didn’t force UP goalkeeper Erin Dees into making any saves, while Bernier-Larose finished with five stops.
The Pilots had eight corner kicks on the evening to OSU’s two.
The win is the first ever for Oregon State at Merlo Field as the Beavers ended a string of 16 straight losses to the Pilots in Portland. It’s also just the second win all-time for OSU over UP.
Portland next welcomes its other in-state rival to The Bluff as the Oregon Ducks visit Merlo Field for a 7 p.m. game on Friday night. The game will be preceded by The Bite on the Bluff, which is set to begin at 4 p.m. in the plaza outside the Chiles Center, and a fireworks display will follow the non-conference match.
