The Oregon lacrosse team (1-0, 1-0 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) will return to Pape Field after upsetting 16th-ranked Stanford last Saturday to play host to UC Davis (0-0, 0-0 MPSF) on Sunday at 1 p.m.
The Ducks are 1-2 all-time against the Aggies, who finished 9-9 in 2006. Oregon owns the most recent victory in the matchup, winning 13-6 last year in Davis, Calif. Midfielder Kate Fleming scored five goals and added an assist in the victory.
Oregon coach Jen Larsen said her team needs to limit turnovers, possess the ball longer and make connections on defense in order to be match that success this time around against UC Davis, which begins its season Sunday.
“Davis is opening up with us so they are focusing on what they need to do,” Larsen said. “We need to focus on our performance and our connection on defense.”
The Aggies will play without All-MPSF honoree Katie McMahon, who led the squad in scoring the last three seasons. McMahon is sidelined this season after undergoing offseason surgery. UC Davis, the host of the three-day MPSF Tournament this season in its new multi-use stadium, also lost senior attacker Tiffany Lee and defender Nicole Frantz, also a senior, to graduation.
Oregon will be contending with Megan O’Connor, who had a career-high 27 goals for the Aggies in 2006, and Patrice Clark, who registered five hat tricks late last year.
During the preseason, Larsen said she wanted to see Oregon improve on turnovers and possession time. Against the Cardinal last Saturday, she saw a need for the Ducks to strengthen those areas, as well as more specifically on their midfield transition game.
“Turnovers were really bad,” Larsen said of Oregon’s first victory against Stanford. “It’s something that we are holding them more accountable for at practice and trying to eliminate come game day. It was a high-intensity game and a sloppy game, weather-wise, and sloppy for the Ducks, too.”
Sophomore Ilsa van den Berg, who had a hat trick against Stanford, was awarded the first MPSF Player of the Week Award for 2007 on Tuesday. Her 31 goals last year as a freshman made her Oregon’s second leading scorer, trailing only Jana Bradley’s 34. May is the only other Oregon player to ever receive the accolade.
“It’s a team effort, and certainly with the Stanford win an Oregon player is going to be touted more so than any other,” Larsen said. “She had a great performance but she had her whole team behind her.”
Junior Jen May, who suffered a concussion after she was struck in the head by an opponent’s stick last weekend in the 10-6 victory over Stanford, is listed as day-to-day. May, who notched 28 goals and 15 assists last year, sat out practice this week and has taken concussion tests, Larsen said.