As Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind” played after an opening-minute goal by Morgan McCarthy, newly minted Oregon Lacrosse head coach Jessica Drummond’s return to Eugene had a perfect beginning.
It had the perfect ending too, as Oregon (1-0) rode its hot start to a 19-8 victory over the Youngstown State Penguins.
“It feels so good to win,” Drummond said. “I’m just so proud that they stepped out here and knew they had to get the job done.”
In the early going, it was all Oregon as McCarthy’s opening goal was coupled with scores from Lauren Rismani and Haley Cummins prompting an early Penguins’ time out.
“That was one of our keys to the game, it set the tone from the start,” Drummond said.
The early stoppage, followed by a pair of Penguins face-off wins resulted in Youngstown State scoring two goals just 45 seconds apart.
Rachel Pallo carried the ball in transition for most of the game and set up Anna Simmons who found the net from the left side to make the score 4-2 with 7:24 to go in the first quarter.
It was a spirited affair from the start as the Penguins fought back with another goal of their own.
With Youngstown State threatening to equalize, McCarthy forced a turnover and distributed to Pallo who scored from the top of the defense.
A Cummins score made it 6-3 at the end of the first quarter of action.
Oregon controlled play for the majority of the second half, after a long possession, Lauren Rismani found the net to beat the shot clock.
Despite a pair of Oregon goals extending its lead to five, Youngstown State refused to go away scoring two goals a minute apart.
Following a Drummond time out, Oregon immediately regained its offensive rhythm as the game’s next pair of goals went to the home team.
To extend the Ducks’ lead to six, McCarthy found Avery Young with a terrific defender-evading pass that the freshman deposited into the net for her first collegiate goal.
“Nerves can happen in your first game,” Drummond said of Young and fellow freshman Lexi Jenkins. “They played outstanding for their first game.”
With ten seconds remaining in the half, Cummins ripped in a shot from over ten yards out to put Oregon up 12-5.
Pallo, Simmons and Youngstown State’s Katie Grottenhaler combined to score three goals in the first two minutes of the half.
The scoring quickly cooled, but Oregon flashed a relentless forecheck that resulted in the Ducks controlling possession for much of the rest of the game. Simmons, Pallo and Cummins all finished with three goals each.
The Penguins struggled to get set up offensively and get quality looks at the Ducks net, Oregon goalkeepers made just four saves on the day compared to eleven from Penguins goalkeepers.
Nine different Ducks recorded points in a game where Oregon never trailed.
“We talk about the team first, everyone contributes and everyone has an opportunity,” Drummond said. “I was just really proud of everyone taking advantage of this opportunity.”
The post-game graphic at Papé field congratulated Drummond on her first win back in Eugene, encapsulating an ideal start to Oregon’s last season in the Pac-12.
“I was like ‘oh my gosh’, I was freaking out,” Drummond said. “The team was so so sweet… It was great, really special.”
“I love her so much, she’s been such a great addition to this team, I could not be excited to play for her,” said Simmons. “I’m just super proud of her.”
Oregon has now won ten of its last 11 season-opening matches and will take on St. Francis next Friday at 5pm.
