EUGENE, Ore. — When the Oregon soccer team finishes training for the day, the Ducks still aren't quite done.
UO coach Kat Mertz encourages her players to use the final few minutes of training sessions to get creative. Work on a move or set piece that could come in handy at some undefined future moment, with a game in the balance.
For junior Emma Eddy and sophomore Eden Hardy, that time has been spent working in tandem, on finishing crossing passes. For that Duck duo, the undefined future moment when that extra work might pay off came Friday night, in Oregon's season opener, with the UO women locked in a tie with Stony Brook.