CORVALLIS, Ore. – The Oregon State women's soccer team imposed its will on Cal State-Northridge in the second half and in overtime on Sunday in a 1-1 standoff at Lorenz Field in its season opener.

The Beavers (0-0-1) outscored the Matadors (1-0-1) 1-0, outshot them 15-1 and enjoyed a wide edge in possession in the final 65 minutes. However, they were unable to break through with a decisive goal despite dominating the run of play.

"The first game of the season there are always going to be some things that aren't quite the way you want," OSU coach Linus Rhode said. "I thought we were a little bit tight, a little bit tense but after the first 20 minutes we started getting into our groove."
"As the game progressed we did some good things, imposed ourselves and created a lot of opportunities, good chances. There are some things we need to clean up but overall for Game 1 it was a solid outing."

"Defensively we did a good job of containing them, they are good on the counterattack. We made some adjustments there. You always want the 'W' but we will take the tie."

The Beavers erased a 1-0 deficit at 64:42 when junior forward Nikki Faris headed home a perfect cross from senior defender Helene Haavik. Junior forward Emma Jones also assisted; all three had re-entered the game just a minute before after not starting the second half.

The Matadors took a 1-0 lead at 4:17 on Camille Watson's unassisted breakaway goal following a giveaway deep in OSU's defensive third. It was the only goal of an evenly-played first half; Northridge outshot OSU 5-2 and had a 4-2 edge in corners.
Faris, Jones, sophomore midfielder Allison Pantuso and senior defender Greta Espinoza had two shots each. Junior keeper Bella Geist had three saves.

"It was good to get a game in," Rhode added. "We've been doing a lot of training. All in all, it was a positive performance."

The Beavers meet Stephen F. Austin at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Lorenz Field in their next game. They are 0-1 all-time against the Ladyjacks, who prevailed 2-0 in Nacogdoches in 2014 in the only other contest between the teams.

OSU then hosts Nebraska at noon on Aug.28 in a contest that will be televised by Pac-12 Networks. It is OSU's first game against a Big Ten Conference opponent since Sept. 1, 2013, when the Beavers and Wisconsin played to a 1-1 draw at Lorenz Field.

Corvallis is frequently listed among the "best college towns" in the country by many magazines.  For more information on the Oregon State women's soccer team, follow the club's official Twitter account at twitter.com/@beaverwsoccer.

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