Complete Team Effort Leads Ducks Past Musketeers

Saturday, February 11

Eugene, OR

1:00 PM

University of Oregon

1-0

Xavier

0-1

Xavier

Oregon

Photo by: Sydney Becker

02/11/23 | Women's Lacrosse

Box Score Box Score

By: Tim Freligh

EUGENE, Ore. – Oregon claimed a season-opening win Saturday afternoon at Papé Field in a convincing manner, earning a 17-6 win over Xavier. The victory marked the first time the Ducks have won by 11-or-more goals since April 26, 2018, against California.

The Ducks, in total, had nine players score a goal, and 11 open the season with a point, including three with a hat trick. Juniors Haley Cummins and Morgan McCarthy and sophomore Riley Taylor paced the scoring efforts for the Ducks, each finishing the opener with a hat trick. Cummins' first-career multi-goal game and hat trick came with nearly nine minutes left in the first half, while Taylor's career-best comes in her Oregon debut after transferring from D-II University of Indianapolis. McCarthy notched her fifth-career game with three-or-more goals.

"I thought our versatility shined today," said head coach Chelsea Hoffmann. "Versatility is something that we view as part of our identity and today, with 11 players having goal contributions, we want to continue making that a point of emphasis. Today was great, but there are still things we need to clean up."

How it happened: Oregon never trailed at any point on the afternoon and quickly took the lead after McCarthy scored a free position goal 49 seconds into the 2023 campaign. After Xavier tied things up 2-2, the Ducks scored four-straight goals and never looked back.

Oregon elevated the level of play out of the halftime run, going on an 8-0 run from 4:16 left in the second quarter until eight minutes remaining in the fourth.

Among the other highlights from the offensive fireworks was Lauren Rismani posting a career-high three assists and collegiate-debut goals for freshmen Anna Simmons (two) and Rachel Pallo (one). Rismani is the first Duck with three assists since Lillian Stump did so twice last year against George Mason (Feb. 12) and San Diego State (Feb. 27). The pair of Simmons and Pallo became the first pair of freshmen to score in their debuts since three Oregon freshmen did so on February 19, 2021, against San Diego State.

"We love playing at Papé (Field)," said Coach Hoffmann. "Our fans were great today. It really speaks to the passion of our community to support the efforts of our players."

Defensively, the Oregon backline was stalwart, led by graduate student Logan Gierke who finished the day with five ground balls and four caused turnovers. Goalkeepers Cassidy Eckert and Paige Crowther were solid throughout, making nine combined saves on 15 Xavier shots on goal and maintaining the Ducks' momentum.

Notable: The Ducks held an opponent to zero goals in a quarter for the first time since the NCAA instituted quarters before the 2022 season … Saturday was McCarthy's sixth game with five-or-more draw controls and 15th with three-or-more … In total, 26 Ducks played in the season-opener, including five of the Ducks' seven freshmen … Oregon has won six consecutive season openers at home and nine of the last 10 overall.

Up Next: Oregon will host their second of three games to begin the 2023 season on February 18 in a matchup with Niagara. First draw is scheduled for 1 p.m at Papé Field.