Ducks Late Rally Falls Short Against Purple Eagles

Saturday, February 18

Eugene, OR

1:00 PM

University of Oregon

1-1

Niagara

3-0

Niagara

Oregon

Photo by: Eric Evans Photography

Ducks Late Rally Falls Short Against Purple Eagles

02/18/23 | Women's Lacrosse

Box Score Box Score

EUGENE, Ore. – Oregon suffered its first loss on the season Saturday afternoon against Niagara 12-10.

Despite seven Ducks recording a point in the game, the Oregon offense could not establish much consistency against the Purple Eagles. As a team, the Ducks converted on just 10 of their 30 shots while going 1-7 from eight meters after being 5-6 in the opener. In her first career start, sophomore Paige Crowther performed admirably, finishing with nine saves against 31 Niagara shots.

"I think they scouted us really well," said head coach Chelsea Hoffmann following the Saturday afternoon loss. We are a young offense, and I still think we are trying to figure out how to work off of each other but playing a team like that (Niagara), you have to play together as a team."

How it happened: Despite scoring the game's first goal, Oregon trailed after the first quarter 4-2.

In the second quarter, Oregon displayed similar defensive grit from the season-opener, holding the Purple Eagles to just one goal. Sophomore Lauren Rismani scored her first goal as a Duck after a tremendous solo effort. Haley Taylor and Alyssa Wright each notched their first goals of the season, with Wright tying up the contest with 3.4 seconds left before half.

In the third, the Ducks recaptured the lead but only for just over a minute, as the Purple Eagles went on a 3-0 run for an 8-6 advantage. Senior Katie Collins closed the gap for Oregon, bringing the Niagara lead to one going into the fourth with her second goal of the day.

In the final quarter, the Purple Eagles came out emphatically, scoring the first four goals of the period. Despite late efforts from Morgan McCarthy, scoring three goals within the final two minutes of the game and setting a new career-high, the Ducks' comeback efforts fell short.

Regarding moving forward, Hoffmann had a clear message: "I just want them to build off the little areas of growth. I think we have a lot of versatility in the offense. I think finding it's the identity of our group, to be able to see how we can play better together as teammates. We have to be prepared for that and make adjustments."

Notable: Saturday was McCarthy's second career game with five-or-points and the most since notching six (3 goals and 3 assists) against Mercer last season … McCarthy extends her scoring streak to 13 games, having totaled 28 goals in the span … After outshooting Niagara 18-14 in the first half, Oregon was down 17-12 in the second, highlighted by a 9-4 discrepancy in the fourth quarter.

Up Next: The Ducks conclude their opening three-game home stretch looking to regroup against Kennesaw State on Sunday, February 26. First draw is set for 12 p.m. at Papé Field.