Two days after beating the highest ranked opponent in program history, the Oregon women’s lacrosse team almost gave away its momentum against unranked Temple.
Almost.
As it did against No. 16 Notre Dame on Thursday, No. 18 Oregon (6-1 overall, 1-1 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) made its victory over the Owls a late-game affair in the East West Challenge in Southern California. Tonight, Oregon will host No. 7 North Carolina at Papé Field at 7 p.m.
The Ducks’ win over Temple, its sixth in a row, is a new program record.
“It was a little nerve wracking,” attacker Ilsa van den Berg said. “It was a messy win but it was a win.”
Head coach Jen Larsen attributed the close game to emotional and physical fatigue from its win over the Irish.
“Our legs were beat and our brains were tired and we certainly had a hard time getting in a groove,” Larsen said.
Senior Theresa Waldron’s team-high three goals gave the Ducks their first, second and fifth goals on Saturday.
Van den Berg added two goals, with fellow senior Jana Bradley recording two assists, including on Casey Rector’s game-winning goal with 2:20 left in the game.
Oregon found itself tied 6-6 at halftime before Temple temporarily pulled away with three unanswered goals to start the second half. Temple’s last goal of the run, coming at 26 minutes left in the game, would be its last. Oregon would score the game’s final four goals, including two by midfielder Jen May.
“They were able to outhustle us and come up with more possession that we did, but once we were able to come up with the ball we were able to put the ball in the back of the net,” Larsen said.
Larsen hopes the Ducks will be fresh tonight against the East Coast power Tar Heels.
“We’ve had other powerhouses on Papé but this is certainly a big one,” Larsen said.
North Carolina’s visit is its first to Oregon, after flight troubles canceled its last scheduled game against Oregon two years ago. An NCAA Tournament quarterfinalist in 2007, the Tar Heels (5-1 overall) play a transition-focused attack that features several offensive options for head coach Jenny Levy, to whom Larsen was an assistant coach from 2000-2003.
None of the players Larsen recruited to Chapel Hill are currently on the team, meaning her previous history with the team won’t mean much Tuesday, Larsen said.
The coach also believes Thursday’s game against Notre Dame gave the Ducks a chance to play against a system similar to the Tar Heels’.
“They’re kind of like a Notre Dame … but instead of three dominant players, we’ll see a whole offense,” Larsen said, alluding to the four Tar Heel players in double-figures for goals. Freshman Corey Donohoe leads the team with 17 goals, and was named national player of the week by WomensLax.com on Feb. 22.
Van den Berg also expected a tough matchup.
“They’re a very aggressive team,” said van den Berg, who leads Oregon with 11 goals. “We’re just going to have to move the ball quickly and beat their pressure.”
Rose Bowl experience
After playing Notre Dame Thursday night at Torrey Pines High School in San Diego, Oregon took on Temple in the drastically bigger Rose Bowl, which can seat more than 100,000.
“It was pretty sweet,” van den Berg said. “You watch it all the time for the football games and all the championship games.”
May called the surface the “best grass field I’ve ever played on.” Although she praised Torrey Pines’ facility, the Rose Bowl experience was “awesome.”
“You can’t touch the Rose Bowl,” May said.
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