Sunday’s matchup was always going to be a challenge.
Previous contests had come against lowly opponents for the Ducks. Oregon had outscored its opponents by 36 goals, but hadn’t faced legitimate competition until the Ducks ran into a clash with No. 22 Rutgers.
The talent disparity showed. Going up by eight at the end of the first-half, Rutgers (5-1) dominated Oregon (4-1) 17-6 in New Jersey.
After the Scarlet Knights opened the scoring with two goals in the first five minutes, Riley Taylor quickly responded. Darting in from the right side and roofing a shot to score Oregon’s first tally of the day.
That early resistance wouldn’t be a sign of things to come.
Rutgers went on a five-goal run. A Morgan McCarthy score would cut the Scarlet Knights’ lead to 7-2 before Rutgers tallied three more to lead 10-2 at the half.
Although Rutgers controlled the game on the field and in the final score, Oregon kept most stats relatively close, even leading the Scarlet Knights in forced turnovers with a 10-8 advantage.
The Ducks simply couldn’t get anything to go and were limited to eight first-half shots. Meanwhile, everything was going well for their opponents.
Ava Cane finished with a hat-trick on seven shots for Rutgers while McCarthy was Oregon’s main offensive catalyst finishing with four points and three goals of her own.
Thayer Hubbard played the first three quarters in goal struggling to keep up with the Scarlet Knights’ powerful offense allowing 14 goals on eight shots. She was taken out with the Ducks trailing 14-4 at the end of the third quarter.
Taking over in net, Cassidy Eckert fared much better as she saved two of three shots faced, but the Ducks’ early deficit made her strong play a moot point.
Meanwhile, Oregon’s previously powerful offense continued to struggle. After scoring 16 or more goals in each of its previous four games, the Ducks were held to just seven goals on the day.
Oregon scored one goal in each of the first two quarters, two in the third and then three in the fourth, mostly against Rutgers’ backups.
Sunday’s outcome wasn’t difficult to foresee. The Scarlet Knights are a national powerhouse with realistic Championship aspirations. While — under new head coach Jessica Drummond — Oregon’s relatively new program is learning what it takes to reach those heights.
A preview of next year’s Big Ten slate of games did not go as planned for the Ducks. Oregon will travel back to Eugene before taking on Merrimack on Wednesday at 5 p.m.
