University of Oregon
4-1
Fresno State
3-1
Second Half Surge Keeps Ducks Perfect in MPSF Play
02/26/17 | Women's Lacrosse
OREGON SCORED 8 SECOND-HALF GOALS AND WENT ON A 4-0 RUN TO END THE GAME TO BEAT FRESNO STATE, 12-9, AND MOVE TO 3-0 IN MPSF PLAY; SHANNON WILLIAMS LEADS WITH 4 GOALS
FRESNO, Calif. - The Oregon lacrosse team used eight second-half goals, including four unanswered in the final 12 minutes, to pull away and beat Fresno State, 12-9, on Sunday afternoon and remain unbeaten in MPSF play.
The Ducks (4-1, 3-0 MPSF) kicked off a stretch of eight road games in a row with a win and remained undefeated as a program against the Bulldogs (3-1, 0-1 MPSF), moving to 10-0 in the all-time series.
How it Happened: Trailing 5-3 with time winding down the first half, the Ducks pulled within one at the break on a goal by sophomore Shannon Williams, giving her a hat trick in the first half alone to pace Oregon through the first period.
Senior Bella Pyne tied the game with quickly in the second period with her first goal of the game at the 28:03 mark, and sophomore Julia Taylor pulled the Ducks ahead, 6-5, with 24:33 remaining off an assist by freshman Julia Bolte.
After a Fresno State goal tied the game, Bolte took a dish from junior JoJo Hesketh and turned it into her third goal of the year to give Oregon back the lead. Hesketh followed less than two minutes later with a goal of her own on an assist from Williams. With the Ducks up two, 8-6, with less than 18 minutes to play, the Bulldogs ripped off three-straight goals to take a one-point lead with 12:53 remaining.
With Fresno State riding the momentum, junior Mariah Gatti quickly turned the tables back into Oregon's favor with her second goal of the game at the 11:55 mark to tie the game again, taking a feed from Pyne for the score. The Ducks then buckled down on defense and scored three more goals to seal the win, with Williams, Hesketh and Pyne each finding the back of the net again.
Who Stood Out: Williams tied her career-high of four goals for the third time this season while leading all players with five points, and Hesketh finished with a career-high four points on two goals and two assists. Gatti and Pyne each scored twice to give Oregon four players with multiple goals, and Taylor and Bolte each scored once.
Defensively, the Ducks were able to force 16 Fresno State turnovers, with Hesketh, Pyne and Jill Zubillaga each adding three, and senior goalie Becca Katzen (4-1) made four saves to earn another win. The Ducks won the draw-control battle, 15-8, behind a team-best four from Hesketh.
What it Means: At 3-0 in MPSF play, the Ducks are already within one win of their 2016 conference total (4-5) under new head coach Katrina Down. Oregon is 3-0 in conference play for the first time since 2014.
Quotable: Head Coach Katrina Dowd
"Today was a tough battle. It was our first road game and a great learning experience for us. We played sloppy and undisciplined in the first half, but we came out at halftime with more heart and discipline to secure the win. I'm proud of our composure in the second half and our will to win."
Up Next: The Ducks will travel outside of their conference this week for a pair of games at Winthrop (Friday, 4 p.m. PT) and High Point (Sunday, 9 a.m. PT).
