It was a dissapointing, yet hard fought season for the Oregon State women's soccer squad, who finished up their season on Sunday with a loss to the USC Women of Troy, dropping their record to 6-11-2 (1-7-1 Pac-10) and a last place finish in the Pac-10 conference.

"The season for us has been overall a positive season" Beavers head coach Linus Rhode said. "We have been getting better throughout the whole season. So for me it's good when you think about what we will have moving forward. Players coming and in and returners coming back it's a good solid stepping stone for us to move forward."

Offensively the Beavers were led by juniors Najma Homidi and Melissa Peck, who had nine and eight points, respectively. Homidi also led the team in goals and shots on goal, making her the go-to player throughout the season. While there were not many bright spots on the team this season, one thing to point out is that there were six starting freshman on the team, something that is not seen that often.

One player of emphasis that will be returning next year is goalkeeper Colleen Boyd, who was the vocal leader for the Beavers for a majority of the season and started fifteen games in goal. She finished the season with a 1.16 goal against average and a 78% save percentage. With every player returning besides senior midfielder Julie Arredondo, the Beavers will have alot to work with beginning this offseason.

"It works in our favor because it means that our team is not going to change much, so we are going to come in with the same team and hopefully have some good freshman to have on the bench that we can bring in," said midfielder Rachael Axon. "Teams are going to fear that, that we haven't changed much and that we will be able to go out and compete just as much as we did this year."

The junior midfielder was tied for third on the team in points with five along with fellow midfielders Jessica Velasquez and Courtney Wetzel, whose late game heroics forced overtime against no. 2 ranked UCLA this last weekend. Unfortunately the Beavers lost 2-1 in a game where there were numerous opportunities that could have won the match for them, but they were not capitalized upon. Thus was the story of the Oregon State women's soccer season.

Although their record may not present it, the Beavers were able to compete with some of the better teams in the nation this season, as proven during the UCLA match, and the one goal loss to defending national champion USC this last weekend. During their trip to Washington they were able to use grit and determination to defeat the no. 22 ranked Washington State Cougars in Corvallis on the back of Peck's one goal and two assists.

In the offseason, however, there are numerous things the Beavers will need to work on, including becoming more physical. As it was proven in the USC and UCLA matches, teams need to be physical in order to compete in this conference. Oregon State was pushed around all match by both squads, and with the Bruins and Women of Troy being two of the better teams in the nation, it is something that the Beavers will need to work on if it is their goal to work towards becoming an upper echelon squad.

"In the offseason we can definitely work on the final third play and on top of that our physicality," Rhode said. "When you come up against teams like USC they are not only good but very physical, so just rising to that challenge. Those are going to be the main areas of concentration this offseason."

While alot of hard work will go into the offseason for the Beavers, everything goes back to the youth of the squad. As there will be 12 combined freshman and sophomores returning the future looks to be bright for the squad as they look to build on a disappointing season.

"I think it has been a good season, a very good season considering that we are a very young squad." Axon said. "We have six freshman that are starting, which is not normal for most freshman, but it is something we can build on."

The Oregon State women's soccer squad put up the fight of their lives this weekend against the two toughest opponents they had to face all year, but came up short in both matches, falling to #2 UCLA (17-0-2) 2-1 in overtime on Friday night, then losing to defending national champions USC 1-0 Sunday morning.

The Beavers held their own throughout most of the match against the second ranked team in the nation Friday night, going into halftime with a tie, 0-0, but in the 78th minute the Bruins took a 1-0 lead on a 35 yard shot by senior midfielder McCall Zerboni that was just out of the reach for Oregon State goalkeeper Colleen Boyd, hitting the top of the crossbar and bouncing just past the goal line. The Beavers pressured UCLA late in the match and in the 88th minute the Beavers found the equalizer by way of sophomore midfielder Courtney Wetzel's first goal of the season on a free kick from 35 yards out, which eventually sent the match into overtime. The goal was only the fourth that UCLA had given up all season.

In overtime, however, Bruins sophomore defender Lauren Barnes, member of the United States national team found senior midfielder Catherine Calvert on a cross to set up the game winning goal. Calvert deflected the cross that hit off the post and into the back of the net to give UCLA their 17th win of the season and their sixth straight Pac-10 Conference championship.

"UCLA is a great team. National team players all around, just a very good team. They have a very good chance of winning the national title this year," said Beavers head coach Linus Rhode. "I think our girls played a great game. I'm so proud of how far they have come, how much heart and desire they played for eachother. They played some good soccer. Defensively they worked hard for eachother, they battled, didn't make it easy for UCLA, we created some good stuff."

While UCLA dominated most of the match on paper, outshooting Oregon State 21-12, only four of their shots were on goal, a credit to the Beavers defensively, who held in check a potent Bruins offense who had outscored their opponents 43-3 prior to the match. Offensively, the Beavers were led by juniors Najma Homidi and Rachael Axon, both who recorded three shots each. Wetzel, however, was the near-hero for the Beavers Friday night, who almost set up freshman Brittany Galindo with the game winning goal, but the shot was punched away by Bruin's senior goalkeeper Ashley Thompson.

"I have been telling the team all year as long as we create chances we have a good opportunity to score," Rhode said. "I'm happy with that, sure we would like to see some more of them go in the back of the net, but in the end of the day we are creating good chances, and the game could have gone the other way against the number two team in the nation, so hats off to these ladies."

To finish out the season the Beavers faced one of the more physical teams they had faced all season in the #9 ranked USC Trojans, who came away with the victory on a goal by sophomore forward Megan Ohai in the 13th minute, her fifth of the season. USC's offense sputtered after key player Ashli Sandoval, who led the Trojans in points, went down with injury in the 48th minute, but the injury played no factor whatsoever, as they held onto the one goal lead to leave Corvallis victorious.

"The first fifteen minutes I don't think we went out all guns blazing, we held back a bit which worked against us because we gave up alot of chances and if we aren't going to go in hard with our challenges then they are going to get lucky chances and score goals off of them," Axon said. "I wouldn't say they were technically the best team, there are always going to be fit, fast and strong, but they tend to go with the direct route with the ball over the top, meaning that they won't get alot of chances on goal because they are missing out a good 60 yards just kicking that long ball."

Much alike the UCLA match, the Beavers had numerous opportunities offensively, but USC goalkeeper Kristin Olsen, who came into the match with a .62 goal against average, made numerous saves, stoning away any chances Oregon State had at scoring the equalizer. A last ditch effort to tie the match came in the 90th minute for the Beavers on a through ball from Axon to Courtney Wetzel, but late game heroics were not in the cards for the Beavers Sunday morning as the shot was punched away by Olsen.

"I thought that Oregon State had a good gameplan and they made things very difficult for us. They had some great opportunities, but our goalkeeper came up big, and I thought it was a good game," USC head coach Ali Khosroshahin said. "Our conference is probably the best conference in the country, us and the ACC. If you're competing for the Pac-10 championship you're going to competing for a national championship, and it is a credit to our conference."

It is not every week that a 31 year old record is broken, but freshman running back Jacquizz Rodgers looks to do so as the Oregon State Beavers invade the Rose Bowl on Saturday to face the struggling UCLA Bruins. The Pac-10 Player of the Week is 124 yards away from breaking Darrin Nelson's (Stanford) 1977 Pac-10 record of 1,069 rushing yards, and would be only the third freshman player in conference history to surpass the 1,000 yard mark.

With the status of starting quarterback Lyle Moevao still up in the air after a strained muscle in his throwing shoulder, the Beavers still have a capable backup in junior Sean Canfield, who orchestrated a nearly flawless victory over the Arizona State Sun Devils last week after coming in midway through the second quarter for the injured Moevao.

"It felt really good to have him out there," said senior offensive lineman Adam Speer. "He played with great poise and he didn't freeze up at all. He was out there relaxed. He was more energetic than usual, which was awesome. He usually has a quiet demeanor, but he was ready to go. He was fired up."

UCLA has had their own quarterback issues to deal with, as junior third string quarterback Kevin Craft has struggled throughout the season after stepping in for seniors Patrick Cowan and Ben Olsen, both who went down with season ending injuries. While Craft is fifth in the Pac-10 in passing, he has thrown only seven touchdowns to 11 interceptions, while being sacked 22 times. With the effective pass rush of Oregon State seniors Slade Norris and Victor Strong-Butler combining for 11 sacks, the Beavers defense will look to have a field day against the weak Bruins offensive line to help shut down the passing attack.

"We are looking at a game that I think will be a lot like the last one," Beavers head coach Mike Riley said. "It will be tough and have a lot of variety to it. I see an offense that is very capable of running the football and their quarterback has risen in the statistics quite a bit. Their balance is good, and I see it as a very tough, physical game."

Offensively the Beavers look to exploit the struggling UCLA defense, who have given up just over 30 points per game. With three Oregon State receivers over 400 yards receiving so far this season led by senior wideout Sammie Stroughter, the Beavers look to capitalize on a Bruins defense that has given up 361 yards per game. The UCLA defense is led by junior defensive end Korey Bosworth, who has stepped up to replace departed linebacker Bruce Davis, who now plays in the NFL. The nephew of former Seattle Seahawk Brian Bosworth has recorded five and a half sacks this season.

"I think they have a good speed defensively," Riley said. "This is probably the best duo of inside defensive tackles that we've seen. They've got explosion and strength. They get a lot of penetration. No. 55 (Bosworth), their defensive end, is also a very good pass rusher. You put those two things together and they have caused some people some problems. They have a sorted variety of coverages and blitzes. They have as much variety in their total defense as anybody that we've seen."

Oregon State becomes bowl-eligible with a victory over UCLA, but it will not come easy for the Beavers, as they have lost five straight matchups to the Bruins. Last year's 40-14 loss to UCLA was the only home loss of the season for the Beavers, and the second largest margin of loss they endured all season. While on paper the Bruins may seem to be a pushover having lost five of their last seven games, it's games like these that have Beaver Nation on edge.

"Since I have been here, I haven't been able to get over that hump of beating UCLA and they are a good team," said Strong-Butler. "They have some great, sound players and a great quarterback. I know they have been a little shaky, but that's just what happens. They have got a great coach and he's got them running. They have potential to be a great team and they are going to put up a fight."

Before the Beavers return home to face #21 California, they must deal with UCLA at the Rose Bowl, which is always a tough place to play. Kickoff is at 3:00 PM Pacific.

With the two toughest teams the Oregon State women's soccer team has had to face at home this season coming to town, the Beavers look to close out their rocky season on a high note as they face #2 UCLA on Friday night and #9 USC on Sunday morning. Oregon State had success against their only other nationally ranked opponent at home two weeks ago when they defeated Washington State, who were #22 in the nation at the time.

"This is a season where we are trying to build a team, start afresh," said junior midfielder Rachael Axon. "We got some good results, some not so good, and this weekend with it being our last weekend we want to end on a high note whether that be a win or a loss, as long as we come out of the game knowing that we played better than our first game at the beginning of the season."

UCLA, who has yet to lose this season has only given up three goals this season, and has posted a .16 goal against average this season. Senior goalkeeper Ashley Thompson is has given up all three goals this season, yet has recorded ten shutouts and has won the last nine matches she has played in. Offensively the Beavers will look to capitalize on opportunities, something that have struggled to do throughout the season.

"In practice we have been particularly looking at high pressure, playing quick, looking to switch," said Axon. "We are going to out there looking to give them a game and play with no fear. It doesn't matter if they are number two or number 102, it doesn't matter to us."

Axon, who is third on the team in scoring with five points looks to create pressure this weekend with junior midfielder Najma Homidi, who leads the team in scoring with nine points. The Oregon State offense has steadily increased the last couple of weeks, but many missed opportunities have lead to losses in seven of the last ten matches. Defensively the Beavers will look to shut down a potent UCLA offense that averages just under two and a half goals per match.

"We have been working on pressuring on all parts of the field, double teaming as much as we can," Homidi said. "They don't really like to be aggressive, so if we just get some bodies on them that will trouble them some."

The Bruins are led by junior forward Lauren Cheney, who was a member of the 2008 gold medal women's United States olympic soccer team. Cheney has scored 23 points this season, with five game winning goals, and 33 shots on goal. The Beavers defense will need to be on their A game in order to stop UCLA, who has outscored opponents 43-3 so far this season.

"(Defensively we are looking at) Not allowing them to have easy shots without being contested, and the other thing is making sure we are showing them the outside, keeping them to the outside of the field and cut down on their opportunities," said Beavers head coach Linus Rhode.

Things do not get much easier for the Beavers on Sunday when they face the #9 ranked Trojans of USC, who have outscored opponents 46-16, yet have lost three out of their last four matches. The Trojans are led by sophomore forward Ashli Sandoval, who was USC's assists leader as a freshman with 11. Paired with senior forward Amy Rodriguez the Trojans have a powerful front line, who combined have scored 36 points so far this season.

"They play the same way (as UCLA), very athletic and direct," Rhode said. "Our gameplan will be the same against both teams, but obviously we will be alot more defensive minded and try and shut them down."

The Trojans, who are 5-2 on the road this season are led defensively by their goalkeeper, junior Kristin Olsen, who is USC's career goals against average leader with just a half a goal given up per match. Olsen has five shutouts this season and has given up only ten goals. With the struggles the Oregon State offense has had this season they look for their defense to step up and stop the Trojans, who have outscored opponents 25-10 in the second half alone this season.

"I think it's going to be the same gameplan as the UCLA game; stop shots, high pressure, don't let them turn," said Axon. "In and around the 18 yard box we know that they are deadly and if we can stop them on goal we will have a good chance."

In being the last two games of the season, the Beavers will be hosting UCLA at 7:00 PM tonight and USC on Sunday at 11:00 AM at Lorenz Field.

In his first legitimate playing time since injuring his shoulder in the USC game last season, quarterback Sean Canfield stepped in for the injured Lyle Moevao and led the Beavers to a breathtaking 27-25 victory over the struggling Arizona State Sun Devils Saturday night at Reser Stadium, their fourth straight Pac-10 victory this season.

Midway through the second quarter Moevao hit wide receiver Shane Morales on a crossing route, then took a big hit from a Sun Devils defender, and went down with an apparent shoulder injury. The Beavers offense sputtered a bit after Canfield stepped in, but with freshman running back Jacquizz Rodgers leading the Oregon State rushing attack with 133 yards the passing attack opened up and SC5 took control of the offense and led the team on a key five minute drive late in the fourth quarter to set up a Justin Kahut field goal to close out the game.

"Sean did a great job coming in," Jacquizz said after the game. "Just picked up the team, everybody just followed him. He made some great throws and led us to victory."

In just his second game of the season, Canfield completed 19 of 28 passes for 218 yards and two touchdowns. The junior quarterback started the game off rather solid, completing his first seven of ten passes for 77 yards, but got rattled to start off the second half when an errant pass intended for Jacquizz Rodgers was intercepted by Sun Devils safety Troy Nolan, who returned the interception for a touchdown, giving ASU a 13 to 7 lead.

"It was a bad read and the ball sailed on me," Canfield said. "Had I thrown it and hit Quizz it probably would have been a first down. But we bounced right back the next drive and kept our composure."

Canfield recovered the next drive and led the Beavers on a nine play, 60 yard drive which was capped off on a 13 yard touchdown reception by Shane Morales, his sixth of the season and second of the game. Morales finished the game with 31 receiving yards and currently leads all Oregon State receivers in touchdowns.

"The end of the first half was a little bit shaky," Canfield said. "But I thought as a whole our offense played pretty well in the second half. Quizz was doing a tremendous job with the offensive line and opening the run game, then we made some throws downfield."

Nursing a one point lead going into the fourth quarter, however, Canfield was nearly flawless, completing four of six passes for 65 yards and a touchdown and leading the Beavers on a key seven play, 80 yard drive that resulted in a Sammie Stroughter 11 yard touchdown reception. Later in the fourth, Canfield orchestrated a ten play, 45 yard drive that ate up five minutes of time off the clock and led to the Kahut field goal that was the eventual game winner.

To begin the drive, however, a late hit personal foul penalty was called on Sun Devils cornerback Terell Carr, who was stiff armed to the ground by Jacquizz Rodgers earlier in the play. He raced to the sideline and layed into Jacquizz, throwing him to the ground and receiving the personal foul penalty. Numerous Beavers players on the sideline took exception to the hit, and almost resulted in a brawl between OSU and ASU players, as numerous Sun Devils ran from their sidelines to back up their players. Oregon State ended up receiving a personal foul penalty, as well, offsetting the Arizona State penalty.

"I stiff armed number five (Carr)," Jacquizz said, "and I guess he tried to get back at me, so he pushed me out of bounds, and that got the team rallied, and they came to our sidelines and we had a little tussle. It was a late hit, he got pushed way downfield and he came back, I was on the sideline and he pushed me to the concrete area. Both teams were fired up after that and we were fighting."

True sophomore receiver James Rodgers led all Oregon State receivers with a career high eight catches for 102 yards, 67 of those yards coming in the second half. Stroughter was close behind with six catches for 70 yards and a touchdown, his fifth of the season, putting him one behind Morales for reception touchdowns.

"We knew coming in it was going to be a hard fought game," said James Rodgers. "We were ready for that and came away with the win. It's a big confidence booster. We have to win the close games and tonight we did that."

Senior offensive lineman Tavita Thompson played for the first time this season against the Sun Devils after serving a one year mandatory suspension handed down from the NCAA last season, adding depth to the young Beavers offensive line who have been solid all year, but have been lacking veteran leadership.

"The offensive line stayed in there and did their thing, and they have been great all year," Canfield said. "There's a certain confidence about this team, I think, more than any other team I have been involved with so far at OSU. Ever since the Hawaii game we have been rolling."

Although it remains to be seen whether or not Moevao will be available for UCLA next week after being declared day to day on Sunday by head coach Mike Riley, Canfield looked poised throughout most of the game Saturday and could be ready to start for the Beavers if he is needed.

Leveraging the power of our new Facebook page, we asked Daily Barometer sports writer Frank Matthew Hoaglin five questions to acquaint us with this week's opponent.

Q: Give us two guys we should know about for their football prowess.

A: Running back Jacquizz Rodgers leads the Pac-10 in rushing and is on pace for the most touchdowns since Beaver great Steven Jackson in '03. His small stature and shifty moves make things difficult for defenders, as USC realized when we defeated them a few weeks back. Quarterback Lyle Moevao has become one of the more vocal leaders that Oregon State has ever seen, and his double-threat capabilities make him a threat at any time. The converted outside linebacker is becoming more and more of a precision passer as the weeks go by, and the receiving core certainly makes things easier.

Q: Give us one guy we should know about for something off the field.

A: Wideout Sammie Stroughter is one of the best stories I have ever heard. He has overcome numerous obstacles and returned from a lacerated kidney last year to be second (by two yards) in receiving on the team, with four touchdowns to go along with it.

Q: What's the best case scenario for your squad this weekend?

A: Rodgers pounds away at the ASU defense for 150+ yards and two touchdowns, Moevao kicks the interception bug and is flawless, passing for 200+ and a touchdown, and our defense is on Rudy Carpenter's butt all game and forces numerous mistakes leading to an OSU victory.

Q: And the worst case?

A: Carpenter catches fire and the Oregon State secondary is unable to stop the passing attack. Defensive back Brandon Hughes or Keenan Lewis get hurt, opening up the wound that Carpenter would eventually exploit in our secondary, and Dexter Davis dominates our young offensive line.

Q: OK, the Beavers are 11-point favorites. Who you got straight up? Who you got in Vegas?

A: Honestly I have OSU either way. We have dominated on our home turf, and I don't see anything changing this game. Our fans will be into the game early, and I think Rudy will get a little bit rattled. Our defensive line will dominate early, and Carpenter will hear footsteps the rest of the game, resulting in numerous mistakes. Oregon State 31 - Arizona State 17.

In the Samoan culture, as in any culture, family is the most important factor in any person's life, an aspect any person lives in a lifetime, but it's an aspect that Lyle Moevao learned at an early age. Moevao moved from San Diego to Hawaii and back again on numerous occasions growing up, and with his sister and two brothers working as a tight knit group with their mother and father the entire time, they gave the definition of family. Moevao's two brothers played football at a young age, and it was an easy thing for him to pick up.

"My oldest brother grew too fast, so he ended up a linebacker/defensive end type of guy, my other brother was a speedy guy, more of a bulkier guy, so we knew he was going to be more of a secondary guy like a safety." Moevao said. "In high school I played quarterback and defensive end, and it was pretty cool because I got roughed up as a defensive end and then as a quarterback anytime I got hit I was able to take it because I was doing it on the other side of the ball."

The 5' 11" 235 pound junior quarterback had a hard time transitioning to quarterback, as teams didn't see the fit. Boise State offered him a contract, but Moevao turned it down and turned to junior college in El Camino, who allowed him to play quarterback. A year later he's lighting up Washington defenders here at Reser Stadium and tied for lead in the Pac-10 in passing with Arizona's Willie Tuitama.

Family was another reminder for Moevao as he took on another Another aspect in having a personalized symbol for his family tattooed on his right arm. The tattoo can be seen on any game day as he may fire a pass to Shane Morales or Sammie Stroughter. The reasoning behind the tattoo was simple: to remember where he came from and who helped get him there.

"When I got it I went to a guy who specialized in tribal and Samoan tattooing and in the Samoan culture there is different symbols that have different meanings for things in life," Moevao said, "So when he was doing it he was just asking me to explain my life and the important things that I put my trust into growing up, so it's mostly about my family, about my mom, who was a single parent for about 19 years, it was me, my two brothers and my sister, so four kids, so it was definitely a struggle for her, and it's something I look up to her for."

Moevao started out at Oregon State in competition his sophomore year with Sean Canfield for former Beaver quarterback Matt Moore's position after he graduated. Moevao and Canfield ended up beginning the season splitting time, but when Canfield went down with injury against USC Moevao took over full-time and led the Beavers to an Emerald Bowl victory against Maryland. In just a year and a half Moevao has transformed into a double threat; a precision passing quarterback that can take off with the ball. Every game Moevao can be heard shouting plays and audibles from the line, and is one of the more vocal leaders Oregon State has seen in past years.

" I make sure I'm a vocal leader more than anything," Moevao said. "I know the other guys feed off of what you say as a quarterback, and especially being the one that handles the ball all the time, if you're not saying anything and you look like you're not confident, then they're not going to be confident in what they are doing either."

The confident leadership has translated to the field as Moevao has led the Beavers to victories in the last four of five games, including the upset of #1 USC, and has thrown touchdown passes in each of the last five. Although Canfield is once again healthy after recovering from offseason surgery, Moevao still holds down the starting position.

"I have alot of admiration for how he approaches his preparation for the game both on and off the field; the extra watching of film, the extra meeting time with the coaches, head coach Mike Riley said. "He was here after practice watching film with Danny (Langsdorf) and I as we looked back at the practice film of the day. He was the only other player in the building doing that."

Being surrounded by a young supporting cast seemed to be a challenge in the preseason after losing starting running back Yvenson Bernard and wideout Brandon Powers to graduation, but the there was tremendous depth for the Beavers on the offensive line, as well as in the skill positions. True freshman Jacquizz Rodgers leads the Pac-10 in rushing and has helped open up the passing game, which has all been started with the offensive line.

"I think it was a really good learning experience from those two losses earlier on in the season for our offensive line to learn and catch up on the game," Moevao said. "We have a redshirt freshman starting at center and a true freshman at tackle and those are pretty importants parts of the offensive line, with the centers making the calls and the tackles having the most athletic defensive linemen coming off the edge, so I think all the time we have put in, we have come a long way and the offensive line has improved."

Moevao made it to 1,500 yards faster than now-Cleveland Brown quarterback Derek Anderson and has spread the ball around all season, as five different players have received a touchdown, and three players have over 300 yards receiving. With still another year of eligibility left, Moevao still has time to leave his print on Oregon State football history, and could be well on his way.

"Lyle is a great example of a guy taking advantage of a year, or at least part of a year of playing the game," Coach Riley said. "Over a year of learning the system, and then combining it with hard, physical work in preparation for a season and then continued dedication to his craft during the season."

Sometimes the best thing parents can do for their family ends up being the toughest, something that Mukhtar and Nasima Homidi realized one night in the 1980's, as the Soviet Union occupied their home country of Afghanistan. With over 100,000 Soviet troops occupying Afghanistan, the Homidi family packed up what they could and took off for the United States in the middle of the night, not telling friends where they were going, and moved on to a new life.

"It was really rough," Beavers junior midfielder Najma Homidi said. "My parents were rather well-off in Afghanistan, and they had to leave in the middle of the night, pack up what they could. They couldn't tell anybody, not their best friends, just their immediate family. They took a boat to Pakistan, then came to the United States."

Her father, Mukhtar, a professor in Afghanistan, was in contact with a fellow professor from Montana. After corresponding with him and attempting to find a place to stay, the unnamed professor helped the Homidi family bring their hopes and dreams to the United States; they eventually ended up in Fremont, California.

"They came here with absolutely nothing," Najma said. "My dad had to get three jobs, and my mom had three kids at the time, I was not born yet. Imagine treating a family with three kids, two parents and nothing."

Today, Homidi is a key centerpiece for the Oregon State women's soccer squad, leading the Beavers in scoring with nine points and two game winning goals, which came against Utah and Utah State in the early stages of this season. Prior to coming to Oregon State, Homidi led Washington High School (Fremont, CA) with 74 goals in 48 games. She was an all-league pick all four years of her high school career, and led the league in scoring three of those four years, all on top of graduating in the top ten percentile of her graduating class.

At the beginning of the season, Beavers head coach Linus Rhode named Homidi co-team captain alongside friend and teammate Red Nixon. The leadership role is nothing new for the Junior, as she was named league player of the year three of her four years in high school, and led WHS to four straight league titles. While her success in high school hasn't exactly translated to the college pitch, Homidi still remains optimistic, as the Beavers are a tremendously young team.

"We have the same goals (as any other team), but we have to be realistic since he have such a young team," Homidi said. "We're not saying the first thing we want to go out and win a national championship. We have steps along the way. We want to go out there and play the full 90 minutes and not just one half, and once we get there we want to win some of the bigger games so we can get to the tournament."

Although she leads the team thus far this season in scoring, Homidi still doesn't see herself as the clear-cut leader for the squad. With seven other upperclassmen on the squad, there are many opportunities for other players to step-up into that leadership role, which will be a neccesity with the tough schedule the Beavers have facing them the rest of the season.

"I'm not going to be the one that shouts if someone does something wrong, not going to put them on blast," Homidi said. "I don't want to say that I'm a leader, I just try to work my hardest, and if they appreciate that, then that's great."

Although every soccer player attempts to create their own style of play, Homidi mentioned she tries to emulate the style of Portugese soccer sensation and Manchester United superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, who had a hand in leading Man U to the English Premiere League cup in 07-08.

Through the first two seasons of her career, Homidi was able to record six goals (14 points) and was the Beavers returning highest scorer, a feat that not many pre-med students can say they have done. With aspirations of becoming a brain surgeon after she has completed her degree, Homidi would like to think there is a future in soccer, but with the hectic schedule of an athlete, and the 3.7 high school GPA she brought with her to Oregon State, Naj has plenty of options laid out for herself.

"I used to see this as a career for me, because I love it, and my love for it hasn't changed, but I have to look at my family, the family that I'm going to have," Homidi explained. "I don't want to be traveling all of the time, I want to be there for my kids, and that's probably going to be around the time where I get married, I don't want to get off to a rocky start. I want to make sure whatever I do, I'm going to take care of my family, money-wise, housing-wise, and I can do that with the major that I'm in, so it's not like I'm compromising."

With plenty of time left in the season, Homidi has plenty of time to show off her talent, and will continue to do so as the Oregon State women's soccer squad hosts the Washington schools this Friday and Sunday at Lorenz Field.

Surely there are not enough words to describe the agony Cougar nation endured as they witnessed the Oregon State Beavers (3-3, 2-1 Pac-10) hold Washington State (1-6, 0-4 Pac-10) scoreless after the 4:28 mark in the second quarter en route to a 66-13 blowout at Reser Stadium on Saturday.

Freshman running back Jacquizz Rodgers led the Beavers offensive attack with 175 total yards and a touchdown, and recorded his fourth straight 100-yard rushing game, and has averaged 141 yards per game in those four games. Jacquizz has scored a touchdown in every game since facing Penn State in the second game of the season.

"We started off good with the running game, found a couple of holes and were able to get into the secondary early," Jacquizz Rodgers said. "They tried to stop it later in the game, and that's what opened the passing game."

Along with Jacquizz, four other Beavers found the endzone on the ground. Junior quarterback Lyle Moevao snuck one in from the one to start out the 3rd quarter. Sophomore wideout James Rodgers took a fly sweep 17 yards to the house midway through the third, redshirt Freshman Ryan McCants took one in from five yards out to end the third quarter. Junior running back Jeremy Francis also scored from five yards out in the fourth quarter to put the Beavers up by 46.

Nearly three minutes into the game Junior quarterback Lyle Moevao connected with Senior wideout Sammie Stroughter on a 30 yard touchdown completion, capping a two-play, 39 second drive, the Beavers shortest scoring drive of the season, marking the third straight game in which the Beavers have opened the game with a scoring drive.

Moevao started off the game nearly perfect, completing 5-6 passes for 108 yards and two touchdowns, but his night was nearly ruined as he threw four interceptions in the second quarter, resulting in 13 points for Washington State as the Cougars made it a game, narrowing the Beavers lead to just 11 points at halftime.

"It was a good start," Moevao said. "Kind of started to get off track in the second quarter, but then I feel we got back on track in the second half. It's one of those things where it's always scary when you're able to come out and start out fast and put alot of points up. The concentration has to stay there, but that happens with all of us."

With 4:28 left in the second, Cougars freshman linebacker Louis Bland intercepted an errant Moevao pass and ran it back for a Washington State touchdown, the last the would score of the game. Moevao had not thrown an interception in 93 attempts, dating back to the Penn State game.

"It was kind of scary, and it was good for the Cougars what they did, and it just added alot to the drama of the game I thought," Beavers head coach Mike Riley said in the postgame press conference. "I was disappointed because we had been so efficient and looked so sharp, and it started with a tipped ball. A bad location of the ball, Lyle ran a bootleg, had all sorts of time, threw it high, it gets tipped and turns into an interception."

Moevao was pulled late in the fourth quarter in favor of Junior backup quarterback Sean Canfield, who saw the field for the first time this season and connected with Junior redshirt wideout Damola Adeniji for a 39 yard touchdown pass to increase the Beavers 53 point lead. Adeniji also blocked a Reid Forrest punt and returned the ball for a touchdown in the fourth quarter to finish out the game.

Senior wideout Sammie Stroughter led all receivers with six catches for 116 yards and a touchdown, making him one of five OSU wideouts to reach 2,000 yards. Cougars senior receiver Brandon Gibson extended his Pac-10 record receiving streak to 30 games with two catches for 28 yards.

The Beavers victory was head coach Mike Riley's 50th win with Oregon State, putting him one win shy of third all-time. The 66 points the Beavers scored was the most since 1997 when they dropped 67 on Northern Illinois, and the most any Oregon State team has scored against a Pac-10 school.

The Beavers travel to Seattle next Saturday to face the Washington Huskies (0-5, 0-3 Pac-10), who are missing a key player in QB Jake Locker. Kickoff is at 4:00 PM.

It has been an interesting storyline for Oregon State football the last few years, as both teams from the previous two years have started off 2-3 and finished in bowl games. As the Beavers play host to the Washington State Cougars (1-5, 0-3 Pac-10), they look to begin a hopeful turnaround that could end them up in yet another bowl game.

The Beavers head into their third Pac-10 matchup of the season as 30-point favorites over the injury-depleted Cougars, whose lone victory has come against I-AA opponent Portland State. Washington State has been outscored 250-98 thus far this season, and have lost the first two quarterbacks on their depth chart due to injury, leaving them with third stringer Marshall Lobbestael and a few reserves.

"I don't think point spreads matter as a player," senior offensive guard Adam Speer said. "We're 2-3 and they're 1-5; we only have one more win than they do. We still have a losing record. It's a Pac-10 game and anyone can win in the Pac-10."

Going into the matchup, freshman running back Jacquizz Rodgers leads the Beavers rushing attack with 550 yards and six touchdowns. Jacquizz is on pace for 17 touchdowns, which would be the most an Oregon State running back has rushed for since Beaver great Steven Jackson rushed for 19 in 2003. While taking on most of the carries for the Beavers, Jacquizz has recorded three straight 100-yard rushing games and two touchdowns or more in the last three out of four games.

"Our offensive line has been doing a good job up front pushing the line forward and getting Jacquizz a few yards here and there," junior Beaver quarterback Lyle Moevao said. "It makes my job a lot easier being able to pass against a defense that's scared that the run game is going to be effective."

Through five games this season, Moevao has already passed for over 1,400 yards, and could be the quickest Beaver quarterback to reach 1,500 yards since Derek Anderson did so in 2004. Moevao has recorded a 138.7 passer rating so far this season, and has passed for two touchdowns or more in the last three games. He has done an excellent job of spreading the ball around, as Shane Morales, Sammie Stroughter and James Rodgers all have three touchdowns.

"Offensively, we've been pretty good so far in establishing the run game early on and being able to come out with some passes," Moevao said. "I think it's important for us as an offense to keep that balance going between our run game and our passing game."

Although the Cougars have looked dismal so far this season, they are not to be overlooked, as there are only four teams in the Pac-10 with over .500 records (Arizona, Cal, Oregon, USC), pointing to the fact that anything can happen when you play in the Pac-10. While Washington State may lack playmakers on either side of the ball, they have one clear bright spot on the team in the form of senior wideout Brandon Gibson, who leads the conference in receiving yards with 460 and has caught two touchdowns.

"As we look at the Cougars, I think they have improved as the season has gone on," Beavers head coach Mike Riley said Tuesday. "They played a very physical, hard game against the Bruins. I think Paul Wulff has got that team going in the right direction. We all know what it's like starting a new program. I like how hard that team plays."

The Cougars have had numerous injury problems so far in the season, mainly at the quarterback position, where the first two quarterbacks on the depth chart have gone down due to injuries. This forced Washington State to hold open tryouts for a scout team quarterback earlier this week. Defensively this is not an issue for Oregon State, as their focus will be on the entire offense as a whole, but it will be good to put pressure on an inexperienced quarterback like Lobbestael, who will presumably be starting for the Cougars on Saturday.

"As far as what we do, the quarterback play doesn't really affect us. It's the offensive line we're worried about," said senior defensive end Slade Norris. "We need to get to him and put pressure on him and take advantage of his inexperience. This week so far we're just focused on getting in his face and making him uncomfortable."

As the next two games will be against the Washington teams, the Beavers start it out against the Cougars on Saturday at Reser Stadium, starting at 3:30 p.m. The game will be televised on FSN NW.

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."

The simplest of phrases uttered from the mouth of junior Najma Homidi easily described the night for the Oregon State women's soccer team.

"You have got to be kidding me," she said right after the match, one which the Beavers (5-4-1) had in the bag if not for one quick lapse of concentration as Fresno State (3-7-1) scored in the 90th minute and the match ended in a 1-1 tie Friday night.

As time wound down, Fresno State midfielder Krissy Looney set up for a corner kick; arched a gorgeous ball into the middle of the box and was headed in by sophomore defender Allyson Ventura. The equalizer was the deciding factor of the match, as the Bulldogs had been seeking their first goal of the match since the 49th minute when Homidi found the back of the net for the Beavers, giving them a 1-0 lead.

"We were pretty distraught," said junior midfielder Rachael Axon. "We definitely deserved the game, a bit of a bummer, especially with three seconds left on the clock, but we have gone into overtime the last three weeks, so it's just how it goes."

Much like the Weber State match last week in which Oregon State had numerous opportunities on goal, the Beavers out-shot the Bulldogs 18-7, but only found the back of the net once, with Homidi's lone goal in the match.

"I think first half we didn't come out as sharp as we wanted to," Homidi said. "We didn't do the things we needed to do, so the opportunities weren't as great. In the second half there were opportunities, just like against Weber State that we didn't put away, simple as that."

Junior defender Red Nixon led the Beavers with six shots, with one coming midway through the first overtime which would have ended the match, but the shot was just off. Little things seemed to be the name of the game for the Beavers Friday night as there were many good balls placed throughout the match, the ladies just could not capitalize.

"When we go out, we panic," Axon said, "and lose at what we're best at, so we start hitting long balls and we're more of a possession team, if we can maintain what we are good at for the full 90 minutes than we can beat any team that we come up against."

Physicality was also a factor in the match, as Fresno State was significantly bigger than the Beavers, which resulted in an abundance of fouls. Teams were about even in that aspect of the match, as the Bulldogs recorded ten fouls to Oregon State's nine, which resulted in numerous delays throughout the match, which seemed to kill any momentum that either team had going.

"I think most teams we come up against are pretty physical anyway," Axon said, "so we are always ready for a good game. Fouls slow down your momentum; second half we definitely outplayed them, they got a lot more physical, which slowed down our rhythm, so it was hard to connect."

Fresno State certainly had no quit in them at all Friday night, as they continued to battle back and create opportunities for themselves until they eventually came out with the equalizer they were looking for. It was a match that Oregon State deserved to win, but the result could have easily gone either way, and on this night neither team would come out on top.

"We just wanted to come out here and prove something," said Fresno State goalkeeper Kaitlyn Revel. "We have two more games before our WAC season starts and we were just trying to play with a lot of heart."

This was the eighth straight match that was decided by one goal or less for Oregon State, who opens up Pac-10 play next week against #20 California. Although they are ten matches into their season already, the Beavers still have some kinks to work out, and they must be done quickly in order to be successful in a tough Pac-10 conference.

"Our first half wasn't as good, or as sharp as we need to be," Homidi said, "so just making those adjustments, making sure that everyone is sharp and on their game. So if everybody is on their game then we will be fine against Cal and Stanford."

Following a heartbreaking overtime loss to Weber State last week, the Oregon State women's soccer team looks to rebound against the Fresno State Bulldogs tonight at Lorenz Field. The Beavers (5-4-0) last seven matches have been decided by one goal, and finish up their non-conference schedule tonight against the Bulldogs (3-7-0).

"It's a big game. Every game is a big game," said junior forward Najma Homidi. "It is our last shot to prove to ourselves that we worked so hard this season,and this far that come Pac-10, we are ready, that we can go into the Pac-10 confidently."

Homidi leads the Beavers into tonight's match with the most goals scored (3), and points overall (7). She has recorded 24 shots on goal and has started all nine games thus far this season, but despite her veteran leadership, the team still remains young and is still looking on improving on numerous aspects heading into Pac-10 play after the Fresno State match.

"We have a lot of young players," said Homidi, "so we have improved in the sense that we have to know how to put each player in a position that adds to their strengths, so once we have knowledge of that, then we grew, played quicker, knowing where to play the ball, just knowing how to play off of each other, everybody's styles, that's what we've built on."

Coming into the match the Bulldogs are led by freshman defender Molly Nizzoli, who leads the team with four goals and nine points. The Beavers however are not looking to focus just on Nizzoli, herself, with Fresno State being a physical team, their sights will be on the defender, but the whole team will be the main focus.

"If there is a player that we need to key in on, put emphasis on her, but that will not take our attention off of the team, we will just need to keep an eye on her."

Reflecting on the Weber State match last week, the Beavers dominated offensively, but you couldn't tell by the score. The Beavers had no problem setting up shots on goal, but finishing was the issue, an issue that needs to be resolved in order to defeat a bigger, more physical Fresno State team.

"I know that it's gonna be a physical match," Homidi said about the matchup against Fresno State, "so we need to prepare for that mentally, knowing that it's going to be a physical match. We just need to stand guard, make sure that we don't give up the ball easily. I'm pretty sure they can play,also, they can move the ball,but I think it's more physical."

Offensively the Beavers will look to create opportunities for Homidi and junior midfielder Rachael Axon, who is third on the team in scoring with three points. As noted earlier, the last seven matches have been decided by one goal, an issue that can be resolved by finishing opportunities made, many of which were wasted in the Weber State match last week.

"It was a loss, but if you look at the overall game we had 20 shots to their 8, sometimes it's just bad luck," Homidi said regarding the Weber State match. "So what we can build on, obviously we dominated,we just have to have that mentality now that we can dominate teams."

Coming into the matchup against the Beavers, sophomore Fresno State goalkeeper Kaitlyn Revel has seen most of the time in the net, recording 1.66 goals against average per match in 10 appearances this season. Comparing the Beavers 125 shots on goal this season to Revel's GAA,the Beavers should have plenty of opportunities for goals in this match, and finish their non-conference schedule on a high note.

After tonight's home match against Fresno state at 5:00 PM, the Beavers start off the Pac-10 conference play by heading down to Berkeley, California for their away match against the #22 Golden Bears of California (7-3-0), who should prove to be a tough matchup for the Beavers.

Defense may win championships, but when the offense does not produce, it makes games hard to win, a lesson Oregon State learned the hard way Saturday as the UCLA Bruins defeated the Beavers 40-14.

With a 14-12 lead heading into the third quarter, the Oregon State defense seemed to be holding the Bruins potent offense in check, but several special teams mistakes and offensive miscues for the Beavers led to a 28 point fourth quarter for UCLA, putting the game out of reach for Oregon State. The fourth quarter blowout began with a 69-yard screen pass to senior wide out Brandon Breazell, who slipped through defenders on his way for a touchdown.

"We disintegrated," said Beaver head coach Mike Riley. "It feels somewhat like last week, where the game was a good football game, and then we made a series of mistakes, and they made the screen pass. (Breazell) made a nice play. We had an opportunity to tackle him early, so I want to give them credit. They stayed with it and plugged away. It was just one of those games. Both offenses were having trouble for a long time in the game. They broke loose to make that one play to get ahead, and we had a series of mistakes that led to disintegration in the game."

The late-game collapse continued for the Beavers, displayed by two back-to-back muffed kickoffs by senior defensive back Gerard Lawson, resulting in 14 points for the Bruins. Running back Kahlil Bell rushed for his second touchdown after the first muffed kick and Bruin quarterback Ben Olsen connected with Breazell for his second touchdown of the contest.

"Things happen, we just need to bounce back and perform to our capabilities, and we just had a couple of tough breaks," LaRocque said. "It's a game of football, things happen like this, and the only thing that you can do is rebound, and I'm sure that we're going to do that. "

While the Beavers defense held the Bruins to only six points in the first half, their offense was unable to produce, given several opportunities to increase their lead. With the ball inside the red zone midway through the second quarter, and errant pass from quarterback Sean Canfield led to an interception by Bruin defensive back Trey Brown, his second of the game, and Canfield's 11th pick of the season.

"We are just not getting it done offensively, like we should be, and like we know we can be," said Canfield. "I think we are playing some good football, as you saw earlier; it's just a matter of staying on it. Our defense has put us in positions to win ballgames, and I think the offense just needs to start going."

Without playmaking wide out Sammie Stroughter for the first time since returning against Cincinnati, the Beavers passing game clearly struggled, amassing just 146 yards, led by freshman Darrell Catchings and his three receptions for 50 yards. Running back was a solid as ever, however, rushing 27 times for 126 yards and a touchdown.

"You can't replace Sammie. You really can't," Canfield said. "But there are just so many other things, just little things here and there. Darrell started the game for us, and did some good things, but I don't really think there is any drop off there. Just two different types of players. It's just a matter of converting third downs. We know what we can do; we know we can play good football."

The loss drops the Beavers to 0-2 in the Pac-10, and 2-3 overall. A tough road up ahead, starting with Arizona next week at home, is in store for Oregon State, as two of their next four games are against Top 5 opponents in USC and California, both on the road.

"We have been in this position before," Canfield said. "2-3 last year and you don't want to bring up last year, but approach every week differently. Every week is a new week. Don't hang on. Have a short memory, and work hard, and I know we will work hard. Whatever it is we have to do better, and we have to work harder than we have been."

Abundantly clear that improvement needs to be made on the offensive side of the ball, the Beavers look to work on putting things together before going on the road against #3 Cal in two weeks, whose hard fought victory against Oregon on Saturday proved to the nation that they are arguably the #2 team in the Pac-10 behind USC.

"A good week of practice does wonders," said LaRocque. "Last year we were at a point where a lot of people doubted us, and not a lot of things were in our favor, and what we did was we got back to practice, worked well, and the one thing about this team is that we are a family, and that takes you a long ways, and I'm confident it is going to turn this team the direction that we want it to."

Following a heartbreaking loss to Arizona State in Tempe, Arizona last Saturday, the Beavers return home to Corvallis to face the UCLA Bruins, which will undoubtedly be Oregon State's toughest challenge thus far this season.

Returning to quarterback for the Bruins will be junior Ben Olsen, who sat out last week's victory against Washington. Olsen was forced to sit out due to recurring headaches, and was replaced by fellow junior Patrick Cowan, who almost tied the UCLA record for touchdown passes with five in a 44-31 thumping of the Huskies in Pasadena. Late in the fourth quarter, Cowan suffered a partial tear of his medial collateral ligament in his right knee, resulting in head coach Karl Dorrell bringing Olsen back into the starting lineup.

"We definitely need to see that from Ben from an improvement standpoint," Dorrell said Monday in a press conference. "I know he's disgusted with how he played in the Utah game and I know he's working hard already to trying to get himself ready to have a great game. He knows what he has to do."

Defensively, the Bruins are led by senior defensive lineman Bruce Davis, arguably one of the best run stoppers in the Pac-10. The Beavers offensive line will have to give quarterback Sean Canfield plenty of time to get his passes off to avoid a repeat of the five interception performance that he displayed against the Sun Devils last Saturday.

"Bruce Davis is a great athlete and a tremendous football player, but coach Cavanaugh trains us not to be scared of anyone," said Beavers center Kyle DeVan. "I'm more scared of Coach Cav than any defensive line that I'll face, even if it's going up against an NFL program. That's just the mentality coach Cav gives us."

Offensively, the Beavers have been clicking as of late, showcased by the blowout at home against Idaho State, and gaining over 500 yards on the ground and through the air against the Sun Devils. Sammie Stroughter has seemed to have regained his presence in the Oregon State offense, steadily becoming one of Canfield's key targets in the passing game. Even still, interceptions seem to be the killer of the Beavers offense, something that can't easily be cured, but is something the Beavers quarterback has been working on.

"That's the thing that bothers me and bothers the rest of the team," Canfield said. "We could have had a lot more productivity, and a lot more yards looking back on the film. It's just a shame to open with a 19-0 lead in the first quarter. Had I hit Sammie on the deep ball it would have been 26-0, and I missed him. Again it's just something to get better at. We're not far off. We're real close."

On the other side of the ball, the Beavers defense will be matched up against the one-two punch of Bruin running backs in Kahlil Bell and Chris Markey, who have combined for almost 800 yards on the ground, with 300 of those yards in an impressive performance against Washington last week. Heavy discipline is key for the Beavers defense in order to stop the UCLA running game this week, and not be a repeat of the Huskies lack of run stoppage.

"We are just going to do what we do every week and prep how we usually do," said Beavers safety Al Afalava. "We prepped really well last week for Arizona State. We just have to be disciplined. We did well, but those big plays on third down. This week we are going to make that a focus with the whole defense."

The Beavers will face the former Top 25 UCLA Bruins at 3:30 PM at Reser Stadium this Saturday.