Oregon lacrosse hosts its final home game of the season when it plays Virginia Tech (7-7) at Papé Field on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Seniors Alicia Burkhart, Cara Mead, Kelly Giblin, Anna Poponyak, Casey Rector and Ilsa van den Berg will be honored before the game. Mead and Poponyak are fifth-year seniors, part of the original first recruiting class in Oregon history.
Oregon hasn’t lost at Papé Field since Feb. 7.
More than just Senior Day, however, the game is Oregon’s chance to clinch its fourth straight 10-win season. The Ducks (9-3) won the only previous matchup between the schools when it beat the Hokies 14-13 last season in Blacksburg, Va.
The Hokies arrive in Eugene on a three-game winning streak that has evened their record after a four-game winning streak
earlier in the season. Five of the team’s losses this year have been against ranked teams. Three Virginia Tech players have scored 30 goals this season, led by Rachel Culp’s 48 goals. Oregon’s leading scorer is van den Berg, with 26 goals.
The Ducks come off an 11-9 win over Denver last Saturday, a program first that gives Oregon a 3-1 record in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation and leaves the Ducks tied for second with Cal and behind 4-0 Stanford. The win also gave the Ducks a guaranteed finish of over .500 in MPSF play for the second straight year in a row, in part because of winning eight of the last nine games, which included league wins over Fresno State and Denver.
Goalie Anna Poponyak earned MPSF player of the week honors after the win over the Pioneers with her 11 saves. It was the second such honor for an Oregon player this year, after van den Berg in late March.
[email protected]