Oregon State Women's Soccer Heads to California to face #6 Stanford and #15 California

What could potentially be their toughest match-ups of this season for the Oregon State women's soccer squad are staring them right in the face as they open their Pac-10 schedule on the road against No. 15 California (7-3-0) and No. 6 Stanford (10-0-1). Combined, the two teams have out-scored their opponents 50-7, with three Stanford players in the top-40 in the nation in scoring. While this weekend will prove to be a good test for a young Oregon State squad (5-4-1), it will be an extremely tough one, seeing as how Cal and Stanford are two of the tougher teams that the Beavers will have to face this season. "I think this is perfect because it sets the tone for all of Pac-10," junior midfielder Najma Homidi said. "We have a lot of newcomers, and this is what it's all about. It's not about the teams we played in preseason, it's going to be more competitive in the Pac-10, so it's a good tone-setter." Friday the Beavers are in Berkeley facing the Cal Golden Bears, who are led by sophomore strikers Alex Morgan and Lisa Kevorkian, who both have 13 points heading into their Pac-10 season. Morgan is No. 75 in the nation in points per game with nearly 1.5 per game. California has won its last six of eight matches, out-scoring opponents 16-4 in those eight matches. The Beavers will undoubtedly need to be on their A-game defensively in order to match up with a powerful Cal offense. "I know that we're not going to all drop off and pack the goal or stay on our side of the field," Homidi said. "We want to play our game, too. We want to attack as much as possible, but we also have to play smart. We have to communicate more on defense, and stay connected more, but we're not going to just drop off and sit." Sunday will be one of the bigger match-ups the Beavers will have to take on this season, as they travel to Stanford to face the No. 6 team in the nation, the Stanford Cardinal. Sophomore striker Christen Press leads the Cardinal thus far this season with almost two points per game, while junior striker Kelley O' Hara has recorded 1.7 ppg and freshman forward Lindsay Taylor has 1.82 ppg. Stanford has out-scored its opponents 34-3 in preseason play and no team so far this season has scored more than one goal against the Stanford team. On the other hand, goalie play for the Beavers has been rather consistent thus far this season, with Colleen Boyd and Katie Bell splitting a lot of the time in goal throughout the season and combining for a 1.09 goals against average going into Pac-10 play. But with the Cardinal and Golden Bears scoring goals in bunches so far this season, they will need to be as solid as they may ever have to be this weekend in order to shut down the powerhouses from down South. "I think we trust both of them," Homidi commented regarding both goalies. "Colleen is a bit more vocal, she gives us more direction, so that helps, but at the same time, when Katie's in, we have just as much faith in her defensively and to give us directions." On the offensive side of the ball for the Beavers, Homidi has taken the brute of the shots, leading the team with 35, 24 of which were directly on-goal. But with only three of those shots making it to the back of the net, Homidi is looking to capitalize on her chances and take advantage of the fact that she is getting most of the looks on goal, which could be key for the Beavers this weekend: taking your shots. "I just need to concentrate more," Homidi said. "The opportunities that I have been given were perfect; anybody should be able to finish those. I just need to concentrate more when I am in that situation." The Cal Golden Bears host the Beavers on Friday at 1:30 p.m., and then travel to Stanford on Sunday for a match-up against the Cardinal at 12 p.m. While these two teams are powerful Pac-10 rivals, the Beavers look to treat this just like any other match. "I don't want to say we'll treat it differently," Homidi said. "But it definitely sparks more competitiveness in us because it's our Pac-10 season and we want to start off on a good foot."