For about seven minutes on Saturday afternoon, the Ducks could have been the team that dealt No. 16 Denver its first conference loss of the year.
But in the 20 minutes following Oregon’s 3-1 scoring run to begin the second half, the Pioneers’ 8-6 advantage spawned into a 20-6 nightmare for the Ducks when 12 unanswered Denver shots found homes behind Oregon’s goalkeeper.
Duck Kate Fleming scored her team’s only goals during Oregon’s comeback after halftime in the Mile High City, including two within a span of about 30 seconds that drew Oregon within two goals of the Pioneers’ lead. The junior’s fourth score came when she flung the ball past Becky Childs’ left shoulder to net her squad’s final goal of the contest. After being down as much as 6-1, Oregon was on the tail of the nation’s second-best offense with 21:26 remaining. Denver called a timeout after Fleming’s goal and then proceeded to turn the battle into a laugher.
Oregon drops to 11-6 overall and 4-1 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation with the loss, while Denver improves to 14-2 overall and 4-0 in conference games.
The Pioneers’ offensive prowess was complemented by a suffocating defense against the Ducks. Denver pressured Oregon intensely in the midfield throughout the match, stifling the Ducks offensively while taking advantage of scoring opportunities. The Pioneers’ effort helped them seal a first-round bye as the No. 1 seed in next month’s MPSF Tournament. Oregon, the No. 2 seed in the tournament hosted by UC Davis, beginning May 5, will await the winner of the first-round game between the No. 6 seed and No. 3 seed Stanford.
Junior Jana Bradley and Senior Brooke Dieringer scored Oregon’s other two goals. Junior Jen May and redshirt sophomore Ilsa van den Berg contributed two assists each. Dieringer scored the Ducks’ first goal after Denver jumped out a 4-0 lead. Bradley and Fleming netted scores late in the first half to set the score at 7-3 by halftime in Oregon’s final regular-season match.
Oregon matched a season-high for most goals given up in a match; earlier this year, it lost 20-4 to Johns Hopkins. Redshirt sophomore Anna Poponyak made 11 saves, but gave up 13 goals. Sam Debow, a freshman, made three saves and allowed seven goals against Denver.
Denver’s Kristie Leggio led all scorers with seven points off four goals and three assists. Ali Flury recorded a match-high five goals and added one assist.