Ducks Bounce Back Against Kennesaw State

Sunday, February 26

Eugene, OR

12:00 PM

University of Oregon

2-1

Kennesaw State

1-3

Kennesaw State

Oregon

Photo by: Rob Moseley/GoDucks.com

02/26/23 | Women's Lacrosse

Box Score Final Box Score

EUGENE, Ore. – Oregon recovered from last weekend's loss with a wire-to-wire, 15-8, win over Kennesaw State Sunday afternoon.

Despite cold temperatures and periods of rain, the Ducks' remained in control during the rematch between the two sides. Offensively, Oregon outshot the Owls 39-18, bombarding the Kennesaw State defense throughout the game. On the defensive end, the Ducks' maintained the same intensity, causing a season-high 13 turnovers, leading to 22 in total for the Owls. Sophomore Haley Taylor ended the day with a memorable performance. In the first start of her career, the Sandy, Utah-native scored her first career hat trick while setting a new career-best point total with five.

Head coach Chelsea Hoffmann had nothing but glowing remarks when asked about certain players. "Gabby (Cleveland) is always full of energy on the field and the sideline. Even if she's down, you can never tell," said Hoffmann after Cleveland's two-goal day. Sophomore Lauren Rismani had her second multi-assist game of the season, and the chemistry between the attacker and her teammates is apparent. "Lauren has such a great relationship with her teammates," said Hoffmann. "She is a team player, and it shows in what we are capable of offensively."

How it happened: For the third consecutive game, Morgan McCarthy and the Ducks struck first to grab an early 1-0 lead. Oregon jumped out to a dominant start, outshooting Kennesaw State 15-2 in the opening quarter. Despite the discrepancy, the Ducks held only a 3-1 advantage heading out of the first.

In the second quarter, it seemed like the Ducks would run away with the contest, jumping out to a 6-1 lead with 9:06 left. The Owls responded, scoring the following three goals in the quarter to make the game 6-4. Mara Zajac scored her first goal of the season with 21 seconds remaining in the opening half. The junior pieced together a career day, coming away with best in goals (2), points (3) and draw controls (5).

During the third, Oregon maintained the momentum it had created. McCarthy's opening goal of the second half propelled the Ducks for the remaining time and marked her third consecutive game with at least three goals. Four Oregon players found the back of the net in the third quarter, with freshman Anna Simmons notching her second multi-goal game of her young career.

The final quarter proved to be a strength for the Ducks in this game, outscoring the Owls 4-1 in the fourth to seal the victory. Junior Madysyn Sweeney scored a pair of goals to make the Oregon lead 13-7, with Taylor and Zajac each capping off their multi-point days with goals in the fourth.

The Ducks take their first road trip of the east for a pair of games. In response to what's next, "It's a business trip," said Hoffmann. "It is going to be a lot like what we see in conference play," said Hoffmann. "Playing on Friday and Sunday is going to be similar to the remainder of our season, so traveling east while having our players from the east coast play in front of their families will be great."

Notable: Seven Oregon players finished with two-or-more points … Four different Ducks finished the game with multiple caused turnovers … McCarthy extends her scoring streak to 14 games, having totaled 31 in the span and 11 in her last three.

Up Next: The Ducks begin their first road trip of the season, heading to Annapolis, Md. to take on Navy at 3 p.m. PT.