Oregon coach Jen Larsen believes the most important team heading into this weekend’s Mountain Pacific Sports Federation’s conference lacrosse tournament is her own.
“I think that we are very potent if we have all of our sticks aligned,” Larsen said. “I think that our opponents coming in are fantastic opponents. We’ve got to make sure that we are bringing our A-game every single time, but the team I’m totally focusing on right now is the Ducks.”
Larsen’s Ducks enter the six-team tournament as the No. 4 seed after finishing 8-8 overall and 2-3 in conference play. Oregon faces fifth-seeded St. Mary’s in today’s opener at Pape Field at 4 p.m.
The tournament field also includes top-seeded Denver, second-seeded Stanford, third-seeded California and sixth-seeded UC Davis.
The Ducks’ previous meeting with St. Mary’s, on March 3, resulted in a record-setting day for Oregon.
Ten different players scored goals against the Gaels, including attacker Ilsa van den Berg’s then-school record five, to lead the Ducks to the 22-8 victory. Alison Leiner, the team leader in assists, registered a school-record six assists in that game.
Oregon’s 14-point win and 22 goals also marked school records.
So is there any overconfidence for today’s matchup against the Gaels after the lopsided victory against them earlier in the season?
Larsen doesn’t believe so, especially considering that the team is entering the tournament after losing two straight games, including a 12-4 loss Sunday to conference rival California, which determined the third and fourth seeds for this weekend.
“We expect (St. Mary’s) to be really tenacious from the get-go,” Larsen said. “Come tournament time, a team is going to accelerate their presence on the field, and I expect that from St. Mary’s. We just need to make sure we go out and take care of the ball.
“I think we got a reality check Sunday with California. So I think (the Ducks) are not going to look past any moment of any game.”
Larsen’s players, all freshmen and sophomores, understand the task at hand entering their second postseason tournament. Oregon lost in the first round, 7-6, to UC Davis last season before defeating St. Mary’s in the consolation bracket 16-12.
“We know how it feels to lose in the first round,” sophomore defender Laura Lynch said. “We don’t want to be there again, and we’re not going to be there again. We need to be confident but not cocky.”
St. Mary’s is led offensively by sophomore midfielder Kim Reny. The transfer from the University of Albany enters the tournament with 41 goals and nine assists on the season.
She has consistently been one of the few bright spots this season on a team that finished the regular season 4-12 overall and 1-4 in the conference. St. Mary’s has dropped 10 of its last 11 games.
If the Ducks advance past St. Mary’s, they will take on Denver Saturday at 2 p.m.
Oregon last played top-seeded Denver (14-4 overall, 4-1 MPSF) on April 7 and fell 14-13 in a back-and-forth matchup (nine ties, four lead changes), despite Leiner’s school-record six goals.
“We played Denver really tough,” Lynch said. “We gained so much confidence from that game, knowing we can play with the top team in our conference.”
If the Ducks falter in today’s game, they will play the loser of today’s late game between California and UC Davis, on Saturday at noon.
Oregon defeated UC Davis in the second game of the season, 13-6, and lost to California, 12-4, to end the regular season.
But again, Larsen said, the tournament is less about the other teams and more about the Ducks.
“Right now it’s just everybody stepping up, understanding it’s postseason and saying ‘It’s do-or-die at this moment. Let’s get it done,’” Larsen said.
Larsen believes goalkeeper Anna Poponyak will be a major key to Oregon’s tournament hopes.
Poponyak ranks fourth in the league with an 8.44 saves per game average (135 for the season).
Offensively, Leiner leads the team and ranks seventh in the league with 49 total points while van den Berg tops the Ducks with 30 goals and is listed second on the team with 40 points.
“We’re just trying to get our heads up and really gain a ton of steam as we go into the tournament, recognizing it’s postseason, we get to host it, and we’re at home,” Larsen said. “I think that’s a fantastic opportunity for us.”
The consolation and championship games are Sunday at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., respectively. All games will be played at Oregon’s Pape Field.

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