MPSF Lacrosse Update, Feb. 4
Feb. 4, 2017 Oregon 11, Michigan 8
Recap by Oregon
EUGENE, Ore. – The Oregon women's lacrosse team got its 2017 season off to a strong start, using a balanced offensive attack to defeat Michigan, 11-8, on Saturday afternoon at Pape Field.
The win is the first for head coach Katrina Dowd and staff in their first year at the helm of the program.
How It Happened: The Ducks (1-0) came out in attack mode from the opening draw, building a 3-0 lead in the first 10 minutes. Sophomore JoJo Hesketh scored the Ducks' first goal of the year less thanthree minutes in, finding the back of the net on a free position shot. Junior Mariah Gatti scored off an assist from senior Bella Pyne with 23:04 left in the first, and Pyne made it 3-0 with an unassisted goal at the 19:43 mark. Michigan (0-1) responded with a goal a few minutes later to get on the board, but the Ducks ripped off three straight again to take a 6-1 lead. Gatti scored her second goal of the game on an assist from junior Cambi Cukar, sophomore Shannan Williams scored just 26 seconds later on another assist from Pyne and junior Natalie Modly found the net with 7:34 remaining in the half. The Wolverines would finish the period on a 3-1 run to cut the deficit to 7-4 at half. Sophomore Julia Taylor scored her first goal of the year at the 3:12 mark to help the Ducks hold their lead.
The Wolverines controlled the start of the second half, scoring a pair of quick goals to trim the Oregon lead to 7-6. Taylor then took back momentum for the Ducks, ripping off a pair of goals in a span of 47 seconds to earn a hat trick and put the Ducks back up by three, 9-6, with the first assisted by Williams.
After Michigan scored with 17:08 remaining to pull within two, the second goal of the day by Williams and a goal by Cukar assisted by Rachel Steinberg gave the Ducks a commanding four-point lead with less than eight minutes left. Michigan scored once with 1:59 left in the game, but it was too little, too late as the Ducks iced their first win of 2017.
Who Stood Out: Taylor recorded her first-career hat trick in a breakout performance that saw her find the back of the net on all three of her shot attempts. In just one game, Taylor has already surpassed her goal total from all of 2016 (2). Williams and Gatti each finished with a pair of scores, while Williams dished out an assist. Pyne finished with two assists and was one of seven total Ducks to find the back of the net. Senior goalie Becca Katzen was solid in the net, racking up nine saves while surrendering only eight goals.
What it Means: The Ducks grinded out a win against a tough Michigan team, and got Coach Dowd's Oregon career off to a fast start. Playing under a new staff with a tremendous offensive pedigree, the Ducks scored 11 goals on 25 total shots and were constantly looking to attack on the offensive end. The game was also the first chance for fans to see the new 90-second shot clock in action; there were no shot-clock violations, but it noticeably sped up a number of possessions for both teams.
Denver 15, San Diego State 10
Recap by SDSU
SAN DIEGO -- Despite a four-goal performance from senior Kristen Hickey, the San Diego State lacrosse team dropped a 15-10 decision to visiting Denver on Saturday in the 2017 season opener for both squads at Aztec Lacrosse Field. SDSU also received two goals apiece by senior Vickie Porter and fellow classmate Kayla Deitz, but it wasn't enough as the Pioneers used an 8-1 run spanning the first and second halves to break open a tight 3-3 game and keep the Scarlet and Black at bay. Elizabeth Behrins put Denver on the board first with a pair of goals just 39 seconds apart in the fourth minute of play, while Kendra Lanuza followed with a strike shortly thereafter, giving the visitors a 3-0 advantage by the 24:33 mark of the first half. However, the Aztecs flashed their resiliency, answering with three straight scores to forge a 3-3 deadlock with 22:25 left in the opening period. Two Pioneer fouls 40 seconds apart led to free position goals by Deitz and Hickey, while the latter added another quick score moments later. Denver gradually stymied SDSU's momentum with four straight goals, including a tally by Julia Feiss off a feed from Caitlin Derry to build a 7-3 lead it would not relinquish. SDSU ended its scoring drought of nearly 15 minutes when sophomore Natalie Peel found the back of the net with 7:46 left before intermission. However, the Pioneers scored a pair of goals before halftime and added two more in the first 2:14 of the second period to fashion an 11-4 bulge. The Aztecs were unable to pull closer than five goals the rest of the way, as another free position goal by Hickey with 1:54 remaining provided the contest its final margin. Freshman Taylor Sullivan also got into the act for SDSU with her first collegiate goal in the second half. Katrina Reeves made 11 saves in front of the net for the Scarlet and Black, while her Denver counterpart Maddy Stevenson finished with five stops of her own. The Pioneers were paced by Behrins' five goals, while Lanuza and Feiss added three each. Denver outshot SDSU 29-18, including a 17-8 spread in the first half. The Pioneers also maintained a 21-17 advantage in ground balls and a 17-8 margin on draw controls. The Aztecs were 6-for-10 in free position attempts, while the Pioneers went 1-for-3. San Diego State returns to action next weekend when it travels to the Pacific Northwest to face Oregon in its Mountain Pacific Sports Federation opener on Saturday, Feb. 11, starting at noon PT.