Oregon women’s lacrosse (5-2) set the tone early and came out firing from the opening whistle, overwhelming Delaware State University (0-5) with a relentless offensive attack. The Ducks left no time for the Hornets to find the net, leaving them scrambling to keep pace in what became a 17-goal win.

Oregon quickly capitalized on opportunities, drawing Hornets goalkeeper Kimaari Mondy out of the goal and forcing a sloppy pass by Delaware State’s defense which gave Oregon the ball back. 

Junior attacker Gabby Santucci found Avery Young on a clear opening from beyond the left side of the goal to tally the first goal of the game; cutting across from the right side, she finished with a wide-open shot right in front of the crease.

“I think it’s just working as a unit,” Young said. “Not everyone’s gonna be open every time, but just making sure that we’re even sending those first cuts so that that second cut can be open and just communicating, ‘Hey, I’m going through, you got next,’ and just, again, keep emphasizing (that) we’re a family, we’re a unit.”

A foul on Delaware State gave Oregon a free position and junior midfielder Lexi Jenkins delivered a perfect shot off the bounce into the goal which extended Oregon’s lead to 2-0.

Just over a minute later, redshirt senior attacker Emma Ing cut straight down the white line near the top right side and finished with an assist from Young as Oregon jumped ahead 4-0 in under five minutes of play.

“We’re just such a unit,” Oregon head coach Jessica Drummond said. “Everybody knows that you have to do your job well and make sure that you’re doing all the things to be smart off the ball, not allowing them to make those cuts or, you know, just a lot of communication, not ball, too.”

The Ducks called a timeout as Delaware State started to find some offensive rhythm. But right out of the huddle, junior attacker Lyla Hurley ripped a shot top-shelf, faking once to bait the goalie before delivering a bullet for a 5-0 lead. 

Just over a minute later, Delaware State scored its first goal, coming from midfielder Taylor Weston, on just its second shot on goal. From the right side, attacking alone, Weston dodged around two Oregon defenders and fired a top-hand shot into the net. The Ducks responded quickly with one final goal from Young to close out the first quarter and extend their lead to 6-1.

Delaware State’s defense woke up in the second, forcing Oregon to work harder for its goals. It took three straight shot attempts before sophomore midfielder Jaeda Jensen scored her first goal of the season for the Ducks, assisted by Hurley. Hurley’s long lob from just beyond the right side of the goal found Jensen for a clean finish and a 7-2 lead.

Weston responded quickly for Delaware State, netting a goal to test Oregon’s defense and narrow the gap. 

Senior midfielder Rachel Pallo, who fell after a stick check by Hornets’ midfielder Makayla Noel, earned a free position opportunity. Her initial shot was blocked by Mondy, but the rebound found the back of the net and the ninth Oregon score of the afternoon.

“It’s just exciting that today, like this, of being able to get everybody in, to have that opportunity, like today is such a team win and that feels so special for everybody that’s on this team,” Drummond said.

The first half closed with Oregon firmly in control, leading 11-2.

It took a little longer for the Ducks to come out swinging in the third quarter, but sophomore midfielder Hazel Baker opened the scoring. 

The Ducks closed out the third quarter with a strong finish, as sophomore attacker Lilly Fortin netted her second goal of the quarter, pushing the score to 15-3.

Oregon opened the scoring in the fourth with a man-up advantage that set up graduate attacker Kylee Manser for an easy scoring opportunity, which she converted

A series of back-to-back goals came just minutes apart with Jensen scoring and freshmen attacker Sydney Saracene notching her first goal of the season.

Oregon bled the clock and closed out the game after a dominating offensive performance that saw the Ducks outshoot the Hornets 46-5. Oregon notched its second straight victory with a stifling 20-3 blow out.

 “They fought really hard,” Drummond said. “Everyone got to contribute, and I’m sure they’re celebrating hard in the locker room. Lots of happiness going on there.”