The Oregon Club women’s rugby team finished its season against some of the nation’s best this weekend at the Pacific Coast Tournament in Palo Alto, Calif.
It was the fourth consecutive season the Ducks headed south for postseason play. This year, Oregon advanced to the tournament after defeating Oregon State 38-17 to end the regular season.
Unfortunately for Oregon, the first round of the tournament paired the Ducks with the fourth-ranked Stanford Cardinal, and Oregon’s sloppy play, coupled with a high-powered Stanford attack, led the Cardinal to a lopsided 93-0 victory.
“Our spirits were down, and we were intimidated,” Oregon’s Ramey Marshall said. “But we would not be surprised if (Stanford) won the national title.”
Despite the loss against the Cardinal, the Ducks rebounded in the second game against the 14th-ranked California Golden Bears.
Oregon managed a stronger
attack than in the first game and advanced the ball into Cal territory several times, but the Bears managed to hold off three Oregon tries to preserve their 22-5 victory. Krista Gust had the lone try for the Ducks.
“We spent most of the time with possession of the ball in their half of the field, and if we would have gotten those tries down, it would have been us in the sweet 16,” Oregon head coach Greg Farrell said. “The calls were questionable, but they (the Ducks) played their
hearts out.”
Despite the two losses, this weekend’s trip to the Bay Area ended one of the best seasons in Oregon history. In addition to beating Oregon State to earn a berth into the Pacific Coast Tournament, the Ducks went a perfect 5-0 in league play and outscored opponents 141-17.
“It was a very gratifying season,” Farrell said. “They peaked each week and put in everything they needed to.”
The tournament also marked the end for four seniors — Jade Santana, Lindsay Babb, Kelly Brittan and Jessie Oettinger. The group helped Oregon to four postseason appearances including a sweet
16 finish.
“We lose a lot, but we have a great core coming back that will help continue to build this program,” Farrell said.
Women’s Club lacrosse “B” team defeats Portland
Despite an impressive first half of play, the Oregon Club women’s lacrosse “B” team needed a late game surge to defeat the visiting Portland Pilots 10-8 on Saturday.
Junior Emma Lott scored three goals for Oregon, helping the Ducks improve to 4-1 on the season.
The victory over Portland, however, did not come easily for
the Ducks.
After posting seven goals and taking a three-goal advantage into the second half, the Ducks watched their lead disappear into an 8-8 tie with five minutes remaining in
the game.
“We started out really tough in the first half, but we lost our momentum in the second,” Oregon goalie and team captain Lauren Kondak said. “(Portland) came back pretty strong, and we were trying to force it too much.”
But the Ducks regrouped after a time-out, and juniors Bethany Parkyn and Lott put on the finishing touches to give the Ducks the
10-8 victory.
“After the time-out, we knew we needed to be more patient on offense and not try to force it as much,” Parkyn said.
The Ducks were also scheduled to play Central Washington in the second of Saturday’s games, but due to a cancellation, Oregon played a doubleheader against Portland, winning the second game
7-4 in a friendly match.
The Ducks travel to a
tournament in Bellingham,
Wash., next weekend.
Women’s Club lacrosse “A” team struggles in California
The Oregon Club women’s lacrosse “A” team traveled to Cal last weekend and faced some stiff competition in a non-league tournament in Palo Alto.
The Ducks tangled with UC Santa Barbara, a San Francisco women’s team, UCLA, and UCLA alumnae. Although the Ducks ended the weekend without any victories, they gained valuable
experience competing against several upper-level teams.
“We were really proud of our team,” Oregon coordinator Anneke Dorsch said. “We played some really hard teams and the intensity helped us. We learned a lot.”
On Saturday, Oregon faced UCLA in the first game and lost 7-3 despite two goals from Dorsch. The Ducks eventually fell to San Francisco,
10-3, and UCSB, 10-2, to round out Saturday’s games.
The Ducks finished the tournament with a tough 3-2 loss to the UCLA alumnae.
“We did not bring any subs, but everyone had a phenomenal weekend,” Dorsch said. “Our team really showed how much heart we have.”
Dorsch, Leslie Furumasu and
Allison Hosek had three goals each to lead the Ducks.
This weekend’s experience should benefit Oregon in upcoming weeks. The Ducks travel to Bellingham, Wash., next weekend and to Boise State the following weekend for the Women’s Division Intercollegiate Associates’ Northwest league championship. The Ducks currently secure the top ranking with a
5-0 league record.
Women’s rugby wraps up season in Bay Area
Daily Emerald
April 5, 2005
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