With 30 seconds remaining and the Ducks trailing 8-7 to USC, head coach Katrina Dowd called a timeout to draw up one last attack.
It paid off. Oregon’s Jill Zubillaga scored with eight seconds remaining to send the match to overtime. That ended up being as close as the Ducks would get to pulling off the upset, though, losing 9-8 to No. 12 USC in Los Angeles.
On a free position shot in overtime, the Trojans were able to escape with a win against a Ducks team that was looking to go 2-0 on its road swing after a 14-6 win over Arizona State on Friday night.
Zubillaga’s game-tying goal was her second of the game. It wasn’t the first time the Ducks clawed from behind either. Oregon fell behind 3-0, 4-1, and then 6-2 before scoring three straight goals to threaten USC.
Shannon Williams also found the back of the net twice, and Mariah Gatti led the team with three goals. Brittany Reed finished with a season-high 15 saves.
Even with the loss, Sunday can be seen as an encouraging step for a Ducks team that was dominated in a 19-8 loss to No. 18 Stanford just one week ago.
Oregon welcomes Colorado to Pape Field on March 23.
Follow Cole Kundich on Twitter @ckundich