Tied at 9-9 with 20 minutes left in the second half, Oregon lacrosse’s freshman Jamie Level found freshman Carlie Leach off an up-field pass behind a Jacksonville turnover. Leach, alone on the right-side of the goal, scored her third goal on the night and a final lead for Oregon.
Leach’s goal was the second of a 5-0 run that gave Oregon (2-2) their second win on the season in a 15-12 victory over the Jacksonville Dolphins (1-1). The Ducks are an all-time 3-0 against the Dolphins.
Level and Leach earned a game-high four goals apiece, together earning over half of Oregon’s goals. Freshman goalie Rachel Hall made all 13 of Oregon’s save.
“They’re unreal. I think they are three of the hardest workers in the freshman class,” head coach Chelsea Gamble said.
Meanwhile, senior Shannon Williams earned a game-high three assists and added two points for the Ducks, her 54th-consecutive scoring game.
“[Williams] is awesome to play with. I’ve never played with anyone like her,” Leach said. “Learning from her and growing from her has been such an awesome process. I just hope to keep doing that this season.
Leach opened the game with back-to-back goals to give the Ducks a 2-0. Just a minute-and-a-half later, Level found Oregon’s third goal of the game off an assist from Williams for a 3-0 Oregon lead.
Behind a failed clear attempt by the Ducks, the Dolphins scored Jacksonville’s first goal of the game. Oregon senior captains Julia Taylor and William extended Oregon’s two-point lead to four to put the Ducks up 5-1.
The Dolphins went three straight to get within one of the Ducks before Williams found her second goal of the game. With just under eight minutes left in the half the Ducks led by two before the Dolphins were back within one, and with five minutes remaining in the half, Jacksonville earned its first tie at 6-6.
Behind a Jacksonville turnover just before halftime, Oregon sophomore Claire Domshick scored her first goal of the game, fifth of the season, to send the Ducks into halftime up one at 7-6.
Less than a minute into the half, the Dolphins tied the game, the second tie of the night, before Oregon grabbed the lead again. Sophomore Emily Munro, with an assist from Level, scored her first goal of the night to put the Ducks up one at 8-7 before the Dolphins earned the third tie on the night.
Six minutes into the second, Jacksonville earned its first and only lead off a free-position goal, but behind a 5-0 run, the Ducks put enough distance to hold the Dolphins off for the rest of game, refusing to let Jacksonville get within less than two points.
“Every little thing, we celebrated, and I think that pushed us to get those little runs,” Level said. “When you put it in the back of the net, it’s a huge celebration because you know you worked for it.”
The Ducks will host UC Davis on March 2 at 1 p.m.
Follow Sierra Webster on Twitter @WebsterSierraE