University of Oregon
UC Davis (First Round)
Oregon Rolls Over UC Davis, 14-9, In MPSF Tourney Quarters
04/30/08 | Women's Lacrosse
BERKELEY, Calif. ? The University of Oregon lacrosse team opened up the 2008 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Tournament with a 14-9 victory over UC Davis in Wednesday's quarterfinal game at Memorial Stadium.
The Ducks (12-6, 2-3), who entered the tournament as the No. 4 seed, advance to tomorrow's semifinals and will play No. 1 seed and regular season champion, Denver (12-5, 5-0) at 1 p.m. The Pioneers, as well as No. 2 seed California, received first-round byes to tomorrow's semifinal matchups.
This is the third year in a row that the Ducks have advanced to the semifinals, but Oregon has yet to move on to the championship game.
Senior midfielder Jen May led Oregon with four points against UC Davis (6-11, 1-4), scoring three goals while adding one assist. Ilsa van den Berg also recorded a hat trick for the Ducks with three goals. Van den Berg's performance helped the Reisterstown, Md., native set a new Oregon single-season record for goals scored. The junior attacker has put 42 scores in the back of the net during 2008, eclipsing May's old mark of 41 set in 2005.
Eight different players registered goals for Oregon, as senior Lindsay Killian and freshman Alex Breiner recorded two apiece. Jenny Browne, Erin Chisnell, Jana Bradley, and Casey Rector also scored, while senior Theresa Waldron had a game-high three assists. Rector and Breiner also combined to win nine draw controls on the day.
Oregon goalkeeper Anna Poponyak was forced to make just six saves, as the Oregon defense of Liora Lobel, Cara Mead and Carrie Bateman held UC Davis to 17 shot attempts.
The game was even at 2-2 before the Ducks closed the first half scoring seven of the last 10 goals. In the second period, UC Davis held the Ducks to five goals, but could never come closer than a four-score margin.
Katie McMahon led UC Davis (6-11, 1-4) with three goals and two assists. The Aggies' Christina Corsa had a game-high four goals.
Oregon now has a 4-2 series advantage over UC Davis, winning the last four meetings with Aggies.
Van den Berg's 58 points on the year also tie a single-season mark set by Alison Leiner in 2006.
The Ducks' 12 wins also match their most in a season, set last year when the team finished its year 12-7.
Denver, currently the 18th-ranked team in the nation, leads the series with Oregon 5-0, including a 13-12 decision in favor of the Pioneers on April 5 at Pape' Field earlier this season. Oregon and Denver have met only once in the MPSF Tournament. In 2005 the Pioneers registered a 14-6 win in the semifinals.
Live stats for the MPSF Tournament are available at www.calbears.cstv.com.
