Two things became evident during the Oregon women’s lacrosse team’s weekend road trip in Denver.
First, attacker Jana Bradley is an offensive force the Mountain
Pacific Sports Federation will have to reckon with for the next three years. The freshman from Encinitas, Calif., led the Ducks (0-3 overall,
0-2 MPSF) in points in their
17-12 loss Friday to Denver
(1-3, 1-0) and again in their 21-2 defeat Saturday against Northwestern
(3-0). Bradley had a five-goal performance against the Denver Pioneers.
“Jana had a stellar game on both sides of the ball,” Oregon head coach Jen Larsen said. “Not only did she put the ball in the back
of the net, she caused turnovers
and created some great pressure
in transition.”
Bradley also scored one of two Oregon goals in Saturday’s loss to the No. 3 Wildcats, giving her a team-leading seven goals on
the season.
Also obvious during the two-day competition was the Ducks’ lack of experience. Larsen’s squad led Denver 10-9 with 20 minutes left in the second half before the Pioneers went on a 7-0 run that put the game out of reach.
“The team came out with effort the whole game,” Larsen said. “We tried to put together 60 minutes of a game. We had some times where we were doing some fantastic things and also had some letdowns.”
Denver’s Megan Carver scored five of her game-high six goals
in the second half, igniting the
Pioneer comeback.
Freshman midfielder Theresa Waldron and freshman attacker Erin Gaebe each had two goals for Oregon in the loss.
Less than 24 hours later, the Ducks struggled against Northwestern. Featuring two players on the Tewaaraton Watch List — lacrosse’s equivalent to the Heisman Trophy — the national title-contending Wildcats overwhelmed the young Oregon team, leading the game
13-0 at the half.
“We went up against a very experienced team and played our hearts out,” Larsen said. “We’re looking to make improvements soon.”
Bradley scored Oregon’s first goal with 17:43 left in the second half
to make the score 16-1 in favor
of Northwestern. Freshman attacker Lindsay Pittard added an unassisted goal — her first of the season — for the Ducks. Northwestern’s Laura Glassanos had seven points (three goals, four assists) to lead
the Wildcats.
Despite the losses, there were several highlights in the trip. The Ducks held their first halftime lead of the season against Denver. Also, freshman goalkeeper Allison O’Brien had a personal-best five saves when she spelled starter Louisa Dorsch in the second half of the Northwestern contest.
“We’re trying to piece everything together, and we’re getting closer to that,” Larsen said.
Oregon looks for its first win Sunday against MPSF-rival UC Davis at Papé Field. The Ducks and the
Aggies battle at 1 p.m.

Beau Eastes is a freelance reporter for the Oregon Daily Emerald