The enormous amount of momentum gained during the women’s soccer team’s 10-game unbeaten streak stalled last Sunday as the Huskies were upended 3-0 by Stanford, the No. 1 team in the country. Now Washington (10-3-3, 2-1-2 Pac-10) will try to get back on track this weekend against the Oregon schools. In Friday’s matchup, the Huskies will face Oregon (8-7-1, 0-5-0 Pac-10).

Despite an impressive record against non-conference opponents, Oregon has yet to win a Pac-10 game. Then Washington will head back up north, hitting Corvallis on its way back to Seattle for Sunday’s game against Oregon State. OSU is ranked 25th in the country, and much like the Huskies, is led by a stifling defense.

The Huskies will look to bounce back against Oregon and start another winning streak; they sit at fifth in the conference and could use some wins to cement themselves in the conference’s upper half. Doing so would all but ensure them their second consecutive NCAA tournament appearance. With the Los Angeles schools coming to Seattle next weekend, the Huskies are in a must-win situation in Eugene.

Oregon’s most dangerous threat against the Huskies is junior forward Jen Stoltenberg. Stoltenberg has the eighth-most points scored in the conference and the second-most by a player who doesn’t play for one of the four California schools. The rest of the offense is fairly impotent, averaging only 1.25 goals per game, good enough for ninth in the conference.

Typically, Oregon’s best weapon may be the home crowd, which despite Oregon’s lackluster play, has been showing up in droves. Oregon averages 688 fans per contest, which places them fourth in the conference in attendance. However, Washington is used to a large crowd. The Huskies are second in the conference when it comes to game attendance with 1,027 fans per game.

Against Oregon State on Sunday, the Huskies will have to be ready to play a very physical brand of soccer. The Beavers are second in the conference in fouls and fourth in yellow cards. They play aggressively, which has also caused them to have the third-most offside penalties in the conference. The Beavers have used that energy and physicality to their advantage and have one of the conference’s best defenses. Washington will have to make sure not to come out tentatively or show any timidity, or else Oregon State will expose it.

Because both teams rely heavily on their defense, a low-scoring outcome can be expected. In a game that could quite possibly be decided in just one or two plays, whichever team keeps their cool and doesn’t let the physical nature of the game disrupt their play will have the advantage. Expect a particularly hard-fought game. Even though Oregon State is nationally ranked ahead of the Huskies, Washington is one spot higher in the conference standings. Oregon State and Washington both need to win this game badly in order to position themselves well for the NCAA tournament.

Reach reporter Jacob Thorpe at sports@dailyuw.com.