Hitting The Reset Button

With the majority of the student body heading out on spring break before starting the spring term on a clean slate, so too is the Oregon women's lacrosse team.

The Ducks will head out on a spring break trip of their own this coming week, but instead of relaxing on a sun-soaked beach, UO will open a three-game road trip Monday at No. 10 Towson before traveling to play at Vanderbilt on Wednesday.

"I think the girls are excited to get back on the road, get back east, and have a great spring break," head coach Katrina Dowd said.

The trip gives the Ducks an opportunity to hit reset on their season. After closing out the first leg of the inaugural Pac-12 season with back-to-back losses against No. 12 USC and No. 15 Colorado, the Ducks head into the second half of the year looking to re-focus before facing all five teams for a second time.

Standing at 4-4 overall and 2-3 in conference play, UO has identified issues it can address during the upcoming nonconference matches at Towson, Vanderbilt and East Carolina before heading back into conference play.

"It's the same game plan; we focus on ourselves," Dowd said. "We want to come out and play tough, play gritty. It's the same thing, getting back to the drawing board of draw controls, of coming up with loose balls, playing a full 60 minutes. That is something we really want, regardless of the outcome — just be proud of a full 60 minutes."

That's the key for the Ducks. Oregon has displayed flashes of greatness in its last three games, but generally just one half at a time.

It started at Arizona State, as the Ducks jumped out to a 7-0 lead before ASU netted its first goal less than four minutes before halftime. Senior Jill Zubillaga had a hat trick less than 20 minutes into the game.

UO took its foot off the gas in the second half, but still outscored ASU 7-5 in the final period to cruise to a 14-6 victory.

The closest the Ducks have come all season to a full 60 minutes came at No. 12 USC. After going down 3-0 less than six minutes in, Oregon clawed its way back into the game with Mariah Gatti scoring a goal in the final minute to send the Ducks into halftime down by one, 7-6.

The second half marked another tremendous performance from senior goalkeeper Brittany Read and the Oregon defense, as UO held the Trojans to one goal in the period. Read recorded 10 saves in the second half alone, finishing with a season-high 15, to keep USC out of the net. But the Ducks could not capitalize on the other end of the field.

It took some last-second magic from none other than Zubillaga, who scored with eight seconds left, to send the game into overtime. The Ducks would end up falling in the golden goal period, after failing to score on their opening possession.

Facing their second ranked opponent in as many games, the Ducks fell into another early hole to No. 15 Colorado, 3-0. But once again Oregon battled back taking a 6-5 lead, thanks to a 4-1 run late in the half. CU's Darby Kiernan managed to net one last goal in the dying seconds to put the teams on level terms at halftime.

After Gatti got the Ducks back in front with a goal to open the second half, Colorado took control by scoring the next six goals. UO did not score again until the 4:55 mark, as the Ducks went cold, eventually falling to the conference-leading Buffaloes 14-9.

Oregon's up-and-down play the past three games, while frustrating, shows the potential of this Duck squad.

Offensively, the Ducks have an explosive ability to take it right to opposing goalkeepers, led by seniors Zubillaga and Gatti along with junior Shannon Williams. The trio of attackers all have at least 20 goals through the first half of the season, with Williams pacing the team with 23 goals to go along with 12 assists.

Zubillaga and Williams have scored in every game so far this season, recording three or more goals a combined nine times. Not to be outdone, Gatti has netted three or more goals in four games as well, holding the Ducks' highest single-game performance with five goals against Canisius.

The Ducks' high-tempo offense is bolstered by senior Cambi Cukar, who leads the conference at 2.50 assists per game.

Defensively, Louisville transfer Read has begun to step up between the pipes for UO. Over the past three games, she has averaged 12.7 saves while holding both Arizona State and USC to less than 10 goals scored. The Gibbsboro, N.J., native is currently tied for first in the Pac-12 with 10.12 saves per game.

Fellow Louisville transfer Lexy Biller has also shined for UO, becoming a dominant presence in the circle. She is second in the Pac-12 with seven draw controls per game, which includes tying the single-game UO record of 10 against then-No. 7 Syracuse.

With the final half of the season ahead of them, the Ducks will learn from these early disappointments, as they attempt to play a full 60 minutes and make a push for the top spot in the Pac-12.