The Oregon lacrosse team will finish its regular season this weekend in the Northeast, taking on Vermont Friday and No. 15 New Hampshire on Saturday.
The Ducks’ (10-5 overall, 2-3 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) game against New Hampshire will be their fourth against a ranked opponent this season, while Oregon fell out of the rankings for the first time since its Feb. 24 win at Richmond.
Oregon has faced the Catamounts twice in its short history, winning both times in blowouts. As for its opponent on Saturday, it will be the first meeting between the schools. Vermont, despite a 7-7 overall record, is second in the America East Conference, while New Hampshire is third, a game behind.
Oregon enters the weekend after splitting last weekend’s slate of games at home. Vermont is on a two-game losing streak, while the No. 15 Wildcats snapped their own two-game skid with a 17-7 win over Albany on Wednesday. The Wildcats are led by Michaela Hardy, who leads the team with 42 goals on the season.
In contrast, Oregon’s leading goal-scorer, junior Ilsa van den Berg, has scored 33 on the season.
Oregon will begin the MPSF tournament on April 30 in Berkeley, Calif. With another weekend of MPSF games still to play for the other teams in the league, Oregon looks to hold the fourth seed in the tournament and would play UC Davis in the first round if the conference standings stay the same.
If the Ducks can sweep both games, their record would equal last year’s program record for most wins in a season, leaving the team the chance to break the record at the MPSF tournament.
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