In the 18: Washington Huskies off to winning Pac-12 start

by Kyler Parris

SEATTLE, Wash.—The University of Washington Huskies (6-3-1) defeated the Oregon State Beavers (5-3-1), by a score of 1:0 at Husky Soccer Field in Seattle, WA. (Box score) The goal was scored by defender James Moberg and assisted by Michael Harris.

Wilson Tsoi: Huskies-Beavers match gallery

College Scoreboard: Saturday / Sunday

The match was largely end-to-end action, with both defenses coming up big often. The game was chippy from the start, with multiple fouls called in the first five minutes, and continued that way until the end.

After that cluster of early tackles and scrappy play, Washington started to find a rhythm. Abdul Aman made a blistering run from midfield to the byline, but the Huskies couldn’t convert the cross.

Abdul Aman and the Huskies beat the Oregon State Beavers on Sunday to open their Pac-12 season. (Cory Parris)

UW had several crosses, corners, and shots in the early stages of the match. 10 minutes in, Washington had their first throw-in in an attacking position. Everyone stood and waited in anticipation. As expected, Michael Harris performed his signature, crowd-pleasing front flip throw-in which was placed perfectly into the box. The ball was flicked on and then headed into the back of the net to give Washington the 1-0 lead.

The rest of the first half was end-to-end. One side would have sustained possession, but would lack the final product. Washington entered the break with their 1-0 lead

The second half definitely went in favor of Oregon State. The Beavers had time on the ball, but no way into the box. They switched the field over and over, just looking for a way in. Many times, Oregon State settled for the long-range shot. Each time, the shot was either off target or easily saved by UW goalkeeper Spencer Richey.

Spencer Richey earned the shutout with the help of strong team defense. (Cory Parris)

Oregon State’s most successful runs were all down the left side, especially when the ball was at the feet of midfielder Roberto Farfan. With a great left-foot, Farfan consistently went for the byline and crossed the ball to the top of the six-yard box. Richey handled these admirably, catching each one with ease.

Oregon State may have had command of the second half, but without a powerful, penetrating attack, Washington hung on for the 1-0 win.

“It was a good performance, a gutty performance,” said head coach Jaime Clark. “In conference play, you get ahead of the game and then you try to hang on a little bit. We’re not to the point where we can absolutely dominate 90 minutes. We got to get our nose ahead and stay ahead.”

It was a glorious fall day in Seattle. (Cory Parris)

Coach Clark said that the game play reflected the 1-0 scoreline. He chose Patrick Pacheco as a standout player in the game saying he controlled the game for the huskies in the middle of the midfield.

“Every year (the goal) is to win the conference. It has been too long since we’ve done it,” said Clark. “Last year we got off to a 0-1 start and it’s a game I think haunted us the rest of the year. This year we are off to a good start.”

Goalkeeper Spencer Richey agreed that they played well. “Honestly, I didn’t have to do too much thanks to our back line. Overall a good performance today.”

The Beavers had the ball enough in the second half but could not solve the Washington defense. (Cory Parris)

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Kyler Parris is a seventh-grader at Skyview Junior High (Bothell, WA). He is a goalkeeper and midfielder for his Northshore Select team, as well as the co-captain. He enjoys writing, photography, and, most of all, soccer. Kyler is a participant in our new internship program that allows young writers, photographers and videographers a chance to gain experience covering soccer online. Contact us at goalWA@gmail.com for more intern information.

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