The hunt for that elusive first victory is
finally over.
The Oregon women’s lacrosse team reached a milestone at Papé Field on March 18 when it bagged the first win in program history with a 19-11 victory over Marist.
The win ended a five-game losing streak for a young Duck team that has shown potential in fits and spats but until now has never managed to close out games.
“It was awesome to get that first win, and we played pretty well from start to finish,” Oregon head coach Jen Larsen said. “I’m most proud of how we countered all their scoring runs.”
Oregon built upon its newfound confidence and backed up the first victory with another one three days later. The Ducks earned a decisive 19-6 win at home over Saint Mary’s on March 20.
“Overall, we started strong and finished strong,” said freshman midfielder Kate Fleming. “Now that we’ve done that in two wins, we know we can play 60 quality minutes. This team has so much confidence now.”
Following the back-to-back victories, the Ducks lost their next three games — all of which were on the road. Oregon fell to
Longwood, LaSalle and Maryland-Baltimore County on its packed three-day road trip from March 22-25.
Oregon (2-8) has not lost a game by more than four goals since its 21-2 blowout by Northwestern on Feb. 26.
As the Ducks ride out the last few games of their inaugural season, several players have emerged as go-to girls who will be counted on to boost the team in order to finish the season strong.
Senior goaltender Louisa Dorsch has started all ten games for the Ducks this season. As the only senior on a team dominated by freshmen, Dorsch provides much-needed on-field leadership from her spot between the pipes.
On offense, freshman attacker Jana Bradley and freshman midfielder Jen May are the biggest threats the Ducks have on the field. Bradley leads the team in scoring, having netted more than 20 goals this season. May is second in scoring and was instrumental in Oregon’s win over Marist, recording five of the Ducks’ nineteen goals.
To complement the steadily
improving offense, Larsen said the defense needs to step up in order to earn more victories.
“In the stat comparison, we are going to continue to score in the double digits, but we need to hold them down in the single digits from now on,” Larsen said.
With five away games remaining on its schedule, Oregon next goes up against a tough North Carolina team (6-2) on Friday. The Tar Heels are ranked 17th in the nation based on win percentage.