WATERMAN – The season came to an end for the Oregon girls soccer team with a 2-1 loss to Stillman Valley in the Indian Creek 1A sectional semifinal on Saturday.

Coming in with an 18-1 record and 4-1 win over the Cardinals (18-4) during the regular season, the loss was stinging to coach Seger Larson.

“We were the better team, but they wanted it more,” said Larson. “We had way more chances (shots on goal).”

After a scoreless first half, Stillman Valley stunned the Hawks with goals at 6 and 22 minutes into the second half for a 2-0 lead.

“Our defense wasn’t ready,” Larson said.

The first score was by Harleigh Wallin, with an assist from Grace Costello. It appeared Wallin was planning a pass, but opted for a long shot and got it past goalie Mili Zaval.

“I think it surprised their goalie,” SV coach Erin McMaster said.

On the second score, it was Costello taking control of a possession at midfield and dribbling toward the goal. That set somewhat of a fluke goal in motion, as Amelia Dunseth took a shot at the goal and it grazed the hip of Emelia Winstead for the 2-0 lead.

Technically, the score was credited to Winstead. Still, it would have gone in the net had it not hit Winstead.

“Once we got a 2-0 lead, that really put the pressure on Oregon,” McMaster said.

Anna Stender gave Oregon life with a goal with 14 minutes left in the game, off a Sarah Eckardt assist. That play energized the Hawk crowd and team and Larson could be heard saying, “We’re still in this.”

With 2:30 left, the ball got loose near the SV net, but no one from Oregon could get a shot off before Sada Hughes grabbed it. Eckardt had a dead-on shot from the wing with a minute left, but it was Hughes covering it up.

“Our goalie was so focused,” McMaster said. She had improved tremendously.”

When SV previously lost to Oregon, it was foreign-exchange student Deb Schmid that did most of the damage. This time, McMaster had a plan to keep Oregon’s leading scorer in check.

“She really took it to us and we weren’t ready,” McMaster said. “We made sure to stay with her today.”

A major disappointment for Larson was a slow start by the Hawks.

“They wanted to control balls more than we did,” Larson said. “We weren’t anticipating balls or getting ahead on passes. We needed to be more aggressive in the first half.”

Towards the end of the first half, Stender had a breakaway, but Cynthia Estrada-Rodriguez defended her. Estrada-Rodriguez was SV’s last line of defense before the goalie and was on top of Oregon players every time they got near.

“She’s our best defender,” McMaster said. “She’s smart, quick and can play the angles.”

With 2 minutes left in the first half, Stender had Oregon best chance of the game thus far, but was denied by the stingy Cardinal defense.

Midway through the second half and trialing 1-0, Oregon’s Teagan Champley had an open shot on goal, but Hughes positioned herself directly in the pass of the ball for the save. Kenna Wubbena also had a shot glance off the crossbar.

“We never were able to get our game plan executed,” Larson said.

Rock Island Alleman beat Byron 4-1 in the other semifinal.

EUGENE- Following a Friday run-rule victory over Boston University, the Oregon Ducks’ softball team is set for a tougher battle at their NCAA Regional in Norman. Still, Friday’s win comes after a disappointing loss in the Pac-12 tournament to Utah, highlighting the team’s resilience.  

“The thing I know about this team, since I’ve been a Duck day one, is that the bounce back is always for real,” coach Melyssa Lombardi said. “These guys do a good job of learning from adversity — things that don’t go our way — and really turning it into a positive.”   

This positive attitude was evident on the field. Pitcher Elise Sokolsky allowed just two hits and a walk over 5 Innings when Boston did not score. Sokolsky also struck out three different batters. Offensively, seven different Ducks scored or drove in runs, leading Oregon to a statement win over the Terriers.   

“Honestly, it really inspires me … having that encouragement that I’m not just doing this for myself, I’m doing this for the people that are hitting, I’m doing this for the people that are working behind me too,” Sokolsky said. “So, it’s really just encouraging to see them put up their fight for me — their best fight — and I’m gonna put up my best fight for them, too.”  

“You could see the bounce back we had, to come out and be ourselves. When we’re ourselves we score early, we allow our offense and defense to really work momentum back-and-forth with each other, and they just play free.”

– Melyssa Lombardi

Next, the Ducks will look to upset regional host Oklahoma on Saturday at noon PT. Oregon will be looking to overcome its history against the Sooners. Oregon and Oklahoma have met 16 times, with the Sooners holding a 10-6 edge in the all-time series. The Ducks won their last meeting in 2018 with a score of 5-0.  

This game will be particularly interesting for coach Lombardi, who spent 23 years as a player and assistant coach at Oklahoma before taking her career to Eugene. While at Oklahoma, Lombardi helped coach the Sooners’ battery to a combined 20 All-America honors, 37 All-Region accolades, and 77 All-Big 12 awards. Sooner pitchers also racked up six Big-12 Pitcher of the Year awards during her time there.  

Lombardi is not the only one in Oregon’s dugout with personal ties to Oklahoma. Former Sooner softball player Sydney Romera and former Oklahoma analyst Sam Marder are now assistants on Lombardi’s staff.   

“[Romera] knows what kind of pitches I like and what I don’t like,” said Sooner outfielder Jayda Coleman. “But I think it’s really cool to see just like how we saw Hope and now we get to see Syd. It’s a good little reunion.”  

In addition to Oregon’s success Friday, several Ducks were recognized for their outstanding seasons by being named to the NFCA All-Pacific Region teams. Here is a closer look at some of the Ducks’ standouts:  

The Oregon Ducks softball team has a challenging matchup against the Oklahoma Sooners Saturday. The Ducks will rely on the strong performances of several key players, including NFCA All-Pacific Region honorees KaiLuschar, Ariel Carlson, Alyssa Daniell, Morgan Scott, Paige Sinicki, and Vallery Wong. With a strong showing in the first game and several talented players receiving regional recognition, the Ducks are well-positioned for a competitive second game in Norman.

Oregon’s two Planned Parenthood affiliates both welcomed new CEOs recently.

Dr. Sara Kennedy will oversee Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette, which operates clinics in Vancouver, Washington, the Portland metro area, Salem, Bend and Ontario. Amy Handler will oversee Planned Parenthood of Southwestern Oregon, which has clinics in the Eugene-Springfield area, Grants Pass and Medford.

They’re taking over at a time when nearly half of U.S. states, including Idaho, have passed laws restricting access to abortion and other reproductive health services after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022.

“Think Out Loud” host Dave Miller recently spoke to Kennedy and Handler about how Oregon’s Planned Parenthood network is responding. The following excerpts from that interview have been edited for length and clarity.

How they’re serving out-of-state patients post-Dobbs decision

Sara Kennedy: “Since August of 2022, we’ve seen a 1,200% increase in people from Idaho traveling across the state to get care with us… We intentionally, within 12 months of Dobbs, opened up this health center in Ontario, Oregon, with the knowledge that we were going to have to be the caretakers of the state of Idaho.”

Amy Handler: “Actually, even before Dobbs… it only took 10 days after SB8 passed for us to see our first patient from Texas in Medford… That was a family — they showed up with three kids in the backseat and they were like, ‘You were the next available [appointment.] We’re here.’”

SK: “No matter what, Oregon is here to take care of folks within Oregon, Southwest Washington, as well as beyond.”

AH: “We just need to be prepared — at least Oregon, more broadly — to see patients that are in extreme circumstances.”

How they’re preparing for a Supreme Court ruling on abortion medication mifepristone

AH: “All of the attorneys general on the West Coast, from Washington, Oregon and California, have said they will protect us in all scenarios… I think they’re looking at this as a highly unlikely scenario. And we’ve prepared in terms of, we have mifepristone stockpiled in the state, and I think our attorneys general would be looking at any way to fight the case.”

SK: “I want people to know that no matter what — there’s so many scenarios of how this could all play out — Planned Parenthood in Oregon will always provide medication abortion, and it will always be legal, safe and effective here in the state of Oregon.”

How they’re planning to expand across Oregon

AH: “We’re definitely thinking about the coastal communities and how we can grow our telehealth program as a first touchpoint for folks before they come in for their first visit.”

SK: “I look at the state of Oregon and I just see so much opportunity. We only have this one, lone Eastern Oregon health center and we know that there’s a huge number of communities and rural folks who need our care… It takes about a year or two for an organization to plan and make sure that we’re doing this thoughtfully. So we’re a good year or two out [from new clinics opening.]”

PPCW CEO Sara Kennedy and PPSO CEO Amy Handler spoke to “Think Out Loud” host Dave Miller. Click play to listen to the full conversation: