To make the playoffs, the Ducks needed to win. To give themselves some hope of a non-last seed in the Pac-12 Tournament, they needed to win. And for perhaps the loftiest goal — three conference wins for the second time since 2018 — Oregon needed to win.

A lot. 

“Today I knew we had to win,” head coach Jessica Drummond said. “I didn’t want to put it in anyone else’s destiny except our own.”

Saturday’s 20-12 win over Arizona State (7-9, 2-4 Pac-12 ) makes all paths for the Ducks seem possible. With Anna Simmons dazzling on offense and Sydnie Soto being as steady as ever defensively, the Ducks looked like an opponent that few would want to tussle with.

But most of all, when the Ducks have been at their very best this season, they have received the kind of all-around dominance from Morgan McCarthy. She’s in toward the end of a season that has made her one of the most dominant players in conference history. Her success has greatly influenced the Ducks all season, and has been an almost-surefire ticket to winning when it has mattered most.

The senior wouldn’t let her last game at Papé Field be a loss. She had five goals — the fifth of which moved her into the top ten in Pac-12 history — in the must-win contest. 

“She means so much to us,” Drummond said. she’s just a special human being.”

“I came from a very small town in New York when I came here,” McCarthy said. “I’ve loved every single person I’ve played on this field with, it’s been a great experience.”

If you factor in Oregon’s (8-5, 2-4 Pac-12) recent second-half finishes a victory looked unlikely. Recent setbacks to San Diego State and USC featured halves where Oregon was outscored 16-5, which meant the Ducks would need to hold strong, leading by just four against the Sun Devils. 

But closing time was closeout time, Oregon scored the second half’s first five goals and played shut-down defense down the stretch — a combination of which was the driving force in the must-win game. 

“I said this week in practice that she was locked in and that she was going to have a day,” Drummond said of McCarthy.“And she certainly did.” 

Cassidy Eckert was in goal for the second straight game and had one of her better outings of the season. She saved seven of 14 shots on the day, including a diving deflection in the last minute of the first half which kept Oregon’s lead at four. 

After playing a more laid-back style of defense in the previous pair of games, the Ducks returned to their aggressive ways. Oregon finished with 14 caused turnovers compared to four from ASU.

Senior Alyssa Wright’s jaw-dropping score with 5:28 left in the third quarter extended the lead to nine. 

The ensuing possession was a McCarthy score. She called her fifth goal of the game her “best as a Duck”. She received a pass from Alyssa Wright and flung the ball from backward over her head and into the net.

“It was awesome, Alyssa was down low and just fed me,” McCarthy said of her score. “Sometimes you don’t think about it and just do it.”

After weeks of standings watching, finally, the path is clear. By beating Colorado (10-4, 4-1) next Friday, Oregon will punch a playoff berth. Any other result, and the Ducks’ postseason hopes will remain likely, but ultimately be out of their hands. 

Face-off is set for 5 p.m. in Boulder.