No. 19 Oregon Returns For Home Opener Saturday
THIS WEEK
After four games on the road, the currently 19th-ranked Oregon Ducks return to Eugene for their home opener. Oregon hosts LeMoyne at 1 p.m. on Saturday at Pape’ Field.
CRACKING THE RANKINGS
After a successful 2-0 trip to the East Coast last week, which included a 14-13 win over Virginia Tech and a 17-5 victory over then 18th-ranked Richmond, the Ducks have entered the Inside Lacrosse Division I Top-20 Media Poll. The Ducks began this week ranked 19th in the nation, just trailing Mountain Pacific Sports Federation foe, 18th-ranked Denver.
BI-MART FAMILY DAY
Oregon lacrosse fans can show their BI-Mart card at the gate on Saturday, and two adults and an unlimited children can gain entrance to Pape’ Field for $10.
MEDIA
Oregon lacrosse fans unable to attend Saturday’s home opener can catch all the action on www.GoDucks.com. The O-Zone will offer a live video stream for all the action and Allison O’Brien will provide the play-by-play on the O-Zone as well as KWVA 88.1.
QUICK START
Oregon begins this week on a three-game winning streak. A win over LeMoyne would tie the program’s longest winning streak in its brief history, and a 4-1 start would also mean the best start to a Ducks’ season during the past four years.
SERIES HISTORY
Oregon will be playing LeMoyne for the first time in program history. This will be the third straight game in which the Ducks face off against a first-time opponent. Oregon has a total of six opponents on the schedule this season that the program has never played before.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Senior Jen May was named a the tri-MPSF Player of the Week, it was announced on Monday. May shares this week’s honor with Cal senior Danni Zuralow and Denver junior Steph Coyne. Zuralow scored a career and game high five goals during an 11-9 win over Stanford, while Coyne had five goals and three assists for a total of eight points in a win over Stony Brook.
May led Oregon to an undefeated 2-0 trip to the East Coast last weekend. May tallied six points on four goals and two assists. She led the field players with seven ground balls, while adding three draw controls and one caused turnover.
LeMOYNE TIDBITS
LeMoyne is 1-1 entering this weekend’s action. The Dolphins opened their season with the same opponents as Oregon, the Stanford Cardinal. LeMoyne fell 14-6 in Palo Alto, but rebounded with an 11-7 victory over Cincinnati on the road last Saturday.
LeMoyne makes its second trip of the season to the West Coast to play Oregon on Saturday. The Dolphins will play one more MPSF opponent this season, hosting UC Davis on March 26. Whitney Vecchio and Rebekah Elmer each recorded three goals for the Dolphins against the Bearcats last week.
SCORING THREAT
Oregon’s offense is currently leading the MPSF in several categories. The Ducks are averaging a conference-leading 29.00 shots per game, leading to an MPSF-best 13.25 goals and 17.25 points per game.
In addition, Oregon is showing efficiency in its attack, leading the MPSF with a .457 shot percentage. In 116 shots this season, the Ducks have scored a total of 53 goals. The only team that has matched the Ducks’ goal output is Stanford, which has put 53 in the back of the net as well. But the Cardinal needed 144 shots and five games to reach that mark.
D-FENCE
While Oregon’s attack is playing a major role in the team’s recent success, the Ducks’ back line and goalkeeper have been holding up their end of the bargain as well.
Oregon leads the MPSF with a 7.76 goals against average. The Ducks also lead the conference with a .544 save percentage, letting in 31 goals, but making 37 saves.
Amongst goalkeepers that have appeared in multiple games, junior Anna Poponyak leads the pack in goals against average (7.76) and save percentage (.544)
LOOKING AHEAD
While 2008 isn’t even underway yet, the Ducks inked 16 signees for the 2009 class in November. The new class will usher in the second era of Oregon lacrosse, as this year’s senior class departs after playing four years since the inaugural 2005 season. The class has representatives from seven different states, led by Maryland (4) and California (4).
“We are thrilled to welcome this dynamic group of student athletes into our program and anxious to continue building on our solid foundation for the Oregon lacrosse program” head coach Jen Larsen said. “This class brings in a wealth of experience from all across the country and will continue our quest to national excellence on the field and in the classroom.”
After four games on the road, the currently 19th-ranked Oregon Ducks return to Eugene for their home opener. Oregon hosts LeMoyne at 1 p.m. on Saturday at Pape’ Field.
CRACKING THE RANKINGS
After a successful 2-0 trip to the East Coast last week, which included a 14-13 win over Virginia Tech and a 17-5 victory over then 18th-ranked Richmond, the Ducks have entered the Inside Lacrosse Division I Top-20 Media Poll. The Ducks began this week ranked 19th in the nation, just trailing Mountain Pacific Sports Federation foe, 18th-ranked Denver.
BI-MART FAMILY DAY
Oregon lacrosse fans can show their BI-Mart card at the gate on Saturday, and two adults and an unlimited children can gain entrance to Pape’ Field for $10.
MEDIA
Oregon lacrosse fans unable to attend Saturday’s home opener can catch all the action on www.GoDucks.com. The O-Zone will offer a live video stream for all the action and Allison O’Brien will provide the play-by-play on the O-Zone as well as KWVA 88.1.
QUICK START
Oregon begins this week on a three-game winning streak. A win over LeMoyne would tie the program’s longest winning streak in its brief history, and a 4-1 start would also mean the best start to a Ducks’ season during the past four years.
SERIES HISTORY
Oregon will be playing LeMoyne for the first time in program history. This will be the third straight game in which the Ducks face off against a first-time opponent. Oregon has a total of six opponents on the schedule this season that the program has never played before.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Senior Jen May was named a the tri-MPSF Player of the Week, it was announced on Monday. May shares this week’s honor with Cal senior Danni Zuralow and Denver junior Steph Coyne. Zuralow scored a career and game high five goals during an 11-9 win over Stanford, while Coyne had five goals and three assists for a total of eight points in a win over Stony Brook.
May led Oregon to an undefeated 2-0 trip to the East Coast last weekend. May tallied six points on four goals and two assists. She led the field players with seven ground balls, while adding three draw controls and one caused turnover.
LeMOYNE TIDBITS
LeMoyne is 1-1 entering this weekend’s action. The Dolphins opened their season with the same opponents as Oregon, the Stanford Cardinal. LeMoyne fell 14-6 in Palo Alto, but rebounded with an 11-7 victory over Cincinnati on the road last Saturday.
LeMoyne makes its second trip of the season to the West Coast to play Oregon on Saturday. The Dolphins will play one more MPSF opponent this season, hosting UC Davis on March 26. Whitney Vecchio and Rebekah Elmer each recorded three goals for the Dolphins against the Bearcats last week.
SCORING THREAT
Oregon’s offense is currently leading the MPSF in several categories. The Ducks are averaging a conference-leading 29.00 shots per game, leading to an MPSF-best 13.25 goals and 17.25 points per game.
In addition, Oregon is showing efficiency in its attack, leading the MPSF with a .457 shot percentage. In 116 shots this season, the Ducks have scored a total of 53 goals. The only team that has matched the Ducks’ goal output is Stanford, which has put 53 in the back of the net as well. But the Cardinal needed 144 shots and five games to reach that mark.
D-FENCE
While Oregon’s attack is playing a major role in the team’s recent success, the Ducks’ back line and goalkeeper have been holding up their end of the bargain as well.
Oregon leads the MPSF with a 7.76 goals against average. The Ducks also lead the conference with a .544 save percentage, letting in 31 goals, but making 37 saves.
Amongst goalkeepers that have appeared in multiple games, junior Anna Poponyak leads the pack in goals against average (7.76) and save percentage (.544)
LOOKING AHEAD
While 2008 isn’t even underway yet, the Ducks inked 16 signees for the 2009 class in November. The new class will usher in the second era of Oregon lacrosse, as this year’s senior class departs after playing four years since the inaugural 2005 season. The class has representatives from seven different states, led by Maryland (4) and California (4).
“We are thrilled to welcome this dynamic group of student athletes into our program and anxious to continue building on our solid foundation for the Oregon lacrosse program” head coach Jen Larsen said. “This class brings in a wealth of experience from all across the country and will continue our quest to national excellence on the field and in the classroom.”
