Oregon Ducks golf falls short of championship in semifinals loss to Northwestern
Oregon Ducks golf falls short of championship in semifinals loss to Northwestern
The Oregon Ducks saw their magical run through the postseason come to an end on Tuesday night in the matchplay portion of the NCAA Women's Golf Championships, losing to the Northwestern Wildcats in the semifinals, one point shy of a championship berth vs. the Stanford Cardinal.
After defeating the Texas Longhorns earlier in the day in the quarterfinals, Oregon went toe to toe with Northwestern in the semifinals and took things down to the final hole after an impressive comeback from Kiara Romero. The match was tied at 2-2, and Romero trailed by two holes with just two to play. She won the 17th but then failed to get up and down from a greenside bunker on the 18th, losing the final hole and conceding the match.
It was the second year in a row and third time in the last four seasons that Oregon reached the national semifinals, doing so with a five-player lineup comprised entirely of underclassmen.
'I'm so incredibly proud of this team,' head coach Derek Radley said. 'They fought this entire week and left absolutely everything they had out there on that golf course. This is such a special group and the things they've been able to accomplish this season are truly amazing. They played for each other every step of the way and have nothing to hang their heads about. It's an honor to be their coach.'
While the goal of a national championship was not met, Oregon once again proved that it is among the best of the best in the nation and is poised for another elite run in 2025 and 2026, with Radley leading the way.
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