“I’m gonna miss the atmosphere and the fans. Though I am excited to come back next summer.”
-Lauren Becraft, Player of the Match
A 2-1 loss this past Wednesday against CFC Atletica concluded the LUFC Women’s time at Civic Park for the season. The match was hard fought, but a disappointing result nonetheless. After Sunday’s loss, the team was eager to perform one last time at home. Head Coach Jurgen Ruckaberle touched on the team’s mentality heading into the match, commenting that, “we were really excited about this game, the last home game for us. And we were really hoping for a good performance today, but unfortunately that plan did not work out for us today.”
The first five minutes of the half were extremely chaotic for the Reds. CFC Atletica immediately pressed the Reds hard and sought to play through the Red’s backline. This press proved triumphant very quickly, and in the second minute of play CFC Atletica was able to put themselves up 1-0. The goal resulted off of an uncleared ball in the box, which after a quick one-two pass from CFC’s strikers, found its home in the back of the net. Despite conceding an early goal, the Reds pushed on and looked to improve their level of play. When asked how the team responded after the early goal, defender Lauren Becraft said, “I think that we responded pretty well. Obviously it’s hard when you dig yourself a hole in the first two minutes. I think how we played really shows our character and every game if we go under we continue to fight.”
LUFC did indeed continue to fight as the half continued on. The squad gradually improved on connecting and building opportunities in CFC’s final third. When asked what the team succeeded in technically during the first half, Coach Jurgen asserted that, “I think by the end of the first half we looked more threatening and put some passes together.” Similarly, during the first half, Becraft felt that mentally the team did a good job at, “staying positive with each other, obviously things weren’t really going our way. But being able to communicate positively and stay in the game.” Indeed, LUFC improved offensively and was able to generate a few plays with opportunities on net. The Reds held CFC from earning any more points during the half, and went into halftime ready to recharge.
During halftime, the squad took time to hone in mentally and technically. Coach Jurgen described how the team felt very flat during the first half. The Coach went on to say that the squad felt like they were, “reacting to the opponent, reacting to situations,” and that, “we really wanted to take the game to them.” The Reds needed to find their fire in order to persevere during the second half.
The second half debuted a much more confident LUFC squad, and the team opened the half very aggressively. The Red’s aggression earned them a penalty kick in the box, and in the 51st minute of play, center midfielder Neve Duston tied the match 1-1. However, this success was short lived, and in the 54th minute of play CFC Atletica was able to put themselves on top once again. The goal resulted from a poor pass from the Red’s backline, which was ultimately intercepted. This interception allowed a CFC striker to rip a shot and find the back of the net. LUFC continued to show their character and did not stop fighting until the final whistle blew. Becraft felt that the second half showcased a much better side of the squad. The defender went on to say that, “I thought we actually had some pretty good chances. We used the intensity to our advantage and I thought we had a much better second half. I think we shook their boots a little bit.”
Moving forward, the squad is determined to brush this loss off and keep their eyes on the future. When asked how she felt about the last home game for the season, Becraft exclaimed, “It’s sad! I’m a Eugene kid, I love Eugene, and I love playing here. Obviously it sucks losing to CFC because they’ve been my rivals since U10, but I’m gonna miss the atmosphere and the fans. Though I am excited to come back next summer.”
Although there are no more home games, support your LUFC Women’s squad on the road this Sunday, June 23rd, as they take on United PDX in Portland.
