With all the records and rankings the Oregon lacrosse team has compiled so far this season, it’s clear the program has come a long way since its inception four years ago.
But a win over league rival Denver? Not yet.
Bragging rights won’t be the only thing on the line Saturday. If host Oregon, 0-4 all-time against Denver, can win against the Pioneers this Saturday at Papé Field, it might just pave the way toward another of the Ducks’ yet-to-be-accomplished goals – the NCAA Tournament.
“Best-case scenario, we’ve got to win out,” head coach Jen Larsen said. “It’s my job to make sure our performance anxiety doesn’t get the best of us.”
Saturday’s game is the first of three consecutive home contests against Mountain Pacific Sports Federation teams before the Ducks go on the road to Vermont and New Hampshire to end the regular season.
Denver (6-5 overall, 0-0 MPSF) ousted Oregon in the semifinals during the 2006 MPSF Tournament at Papé Field, almost a month to the day after they beat the Ducks 14-13 in Eugene.
Larsen doesn’t take the two teams’ rivalry lightly.
“Oh it’s absolutely real,” Larsen said. “Especially since that’s the one team in our conference we’ve never beaten.”
Like its matchups against North Carolina and Notre Dame, Oregon is preparing for a strong Denver attack, led by standout players Steph Coyne and Ali Flury. Flury’s 2.90 goals per game is second in the conference, while teammates Coyne’s 5.1 points per game is the nation’s fifth-best average. In Denver’s two wins over UConn and Colgate two weeks ago, Coyne scored 19 points, including a school-record seven assists against Colgate.
“We’ve faced those types of players,” Larsen said. “We’ll have a good game plan against them and certainly have some top defenders to go up against them.”
The No. 16 Ducks (9-3 overall, 1-1 MPSF) enter the game after a 2-1 record during spring break. Like its final game before the break, in which Columbia scored six straight goals to creep back into the game, the Ducks had similar problems holding leads against St. Bonaventure and Colgate.
“If you look at the halftime scores of all three games, we’re up three or four and then who knows what happens, we just lose it,” leading scorer Ilsa van den Berg said. “We get a little too comfortable, a little too cocky…”
“…and then we turn it over,” senior midfielder Jen May finished.
“We need to work on playing for the whole 60 minutes,” senior attacker Lindsay Killian said. “We’ve said this over and over but I don’t think we’ve done it yet.”
The team’s three games between trimesters also demonstrated its knack for close games. Six of the Ducks’ 12 games have been decided by one goal or less, games they are 4-2 in.
Another honor for May
May was named MPSF player of the week for the second time this week after scoring five goals and adding an assist in the team’s two wins during spring break. Against St. Bonaventure, May scored three goals.
The senior midfielder leads the conference in draw controls. She also was named to a finalist for Laxpower.com’s 2008 Fan Award, one of 12 midfielders nationally. Voting for the award will open the week before the NCAA Tournament.
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