Second-Half Surge Lifts Ducks Past UC Davis

Sunday, April 16

Moraga, Calif.

12:00 PM

University of Oregon

8-7, 4-3MPSF

UC Davis

6-9, 2-4MPSF

Oregon

UC Davis

Photo by: Eric Evans/GoDucks.com

04/16/17 | Women's Lacrosse, Women In Flight

Box Score Oregon 10, UC Davis 9

OREGON SCORED FIVE UNANSWERED GOALS AND KEPT UC DAVIS SCORELESS IN THE SECOND HALF TO WIN, 10-9, AND CLINCH A BID TO THE MPSF TOURNAMENT; CAMBI CUKAR BREAKS UO ALL-TIME ASSIST RECORD

By: Nate Krueger

DAVIS, Calif. – The Oregon women's lacrosse team scored five unanswered goals and kept UC Davis scoreless in the second half to erase an early deficit and win, 10-9, on Sunday at Aggie Stadium.

Junior Cambi Cukar recorded three assists for the Ducks, running her career total to 115 to become the all-time leader in Oregon history. With the win, the Ducks (8-7, 4-3 MPSF) clinched a bid to the MPSF Tournament.

How it Happened: UC Davis (6-9, 2-4 MPSF) started the game well, jumping out to a 4-0 lead through the first 11 minutes. The Ducks (8-7, 4-3 MPSF) began to find their groove offensively to get back into it, scoring three unanswered goals to cut the deficit to one. Mariah Gatti opened the scoring for Oregon, and Shannon Williams and Jill Zubillaga each scored in an 11-second span.

After UC Davis scored twice to push its lead back to three, Zubillaga answered with a score off Cukar's first assist of the day to make it 6-4. The Aggies would finish the first half on a 5-2 run to take a 9-5 lead into halftime.

The Ducks took control in the second half, both offensively and defensively. Freshman Julia Bolte opened the second-half scoring with a goal off an assist from Madeline Reece at the 26:43 mark, and then fed senior Bella Pyne three minutes later for a score to pull Oregon within two. With 12:57 to go in the game, Cukar tied the Oregon record with an assist on Pyne's third goal of the game to make it a one-goal game.

Trailing by one with less than 10 minutes left, Gatti tied the game as Cukar found her for the record-breaking assist with 8:04 remaining. Williams, the Ducks' leading goal and point-scorer, scored on a free-position shot for what would end up being the game-winning goal.

Who Stood Out: Pyne led all players with three goals, her sixth hat trick of the season, and Williams, Gatti and Zubillaga each finished with two goals. Cukar led the Ducks with three assists to break the program all-time record, and Bolte added a goal and an assist.

Defensively, goalie Maddie Clark came on to provide a spark for the Ducks. The freshman entered the game with the Ducks trailing 8-4, and went on to make four saves and allow just one goal in nearly 38 minutes of action to earn her first-career win. The Ducks helped her out by limiting opportunities for UC Davis, holding the Aggies to just eight shots in the second half after allowing 14 in the first.

What it Means: The Ducks clinched their spot in the MPSF Tournament, and did so with a win that will prove big in determining seeding for the tournament. The Ducks currently sit in fourth in the conference at 4-3, one spot behind Stanford (4-1) and one ahead of California (2-3).

Cukar Breaks Record: Cukar moved her name to the top of the Oregon record books against the Aggies with the 115th assist of her career, the most in the history of the program. Cukar surpassed Shannon Propst's (2011-14) previous record of 114, and did so in just 50 career games compared to 72 games for Propst. With five points in the last two games, Cukar has also moved into 10th all-time at Oregon in career points with 139.

Quotable: Head coach Katrina Dowd
On the win...
"Today was a gutsy win for us. We came out flat and undisciplined in the first half, but we regrouped at halftime and played with passion and energy. Our defensive effort in the second half was stellar and led to many offensive opportunities for us. This is a key conference win to help secure a spot in the MPSF Tournament."

On Cukar's all-time record...
"This is a great accomplishment for Cambi. She is always looking to set her teammates up for success and this season has not been any different. She is the leader and the quarterback of our offense."

Notable: Williams ran her season goal total to 43, tied for second-most in UO history and just three behind Ilsa van den Berg (2008) for the most in single-season history … With 62 points this season, Williams is now sixth in Oregon single-season history and is nine shy of Carly O'Connell's (2014) program record … Cukar is now seventh in program single-season history with 33 assists, and she already owns the No. 1 spot (46, 2016) and the No. 5 spot (36, 2015).

Up Next: The Ducks will close out their regular season at home next Sunday against Saint Mary's at noon at Pape Field.