Ducks Host Cal Saturday In Home, Pac-12 Opener
EUGENE, Ore. - The Oregon lacrosse team will be back on the field competing for the first time since Feb. 28 on Saturday when the Ducks host California in their 2021 home and Pac-12 opener at Pape Field.
Oregon had two weeks off following its overtime loss at Central Michigan on Feb. 28, and then had to cancel its games at Colorado (March 12) and Denver (March 14) because of COVID-19 protocols. Saturday's game is the first of six home games for the Ducks during this unique 2021 season, with No. 20 Stanford set to come to Eugene on Monday (3 p.m., Pac-12 Network).
Game Details
Matchup: Oregon (0-4, 0-0) vs. California (1-4, 0-2)
Date: Saturday, March 20, 2021
Location: Eugene, Ore.
Venue: Pape Field
Start Time: 1 p.m. PT
Live Stats: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=346593
Live Stream: https://pac-12.com/live/university-oregon-3
Numbers to Know
1 - Head coach Chelsea Hoffmann recorded her 1st career Pac-12 win vs. California, a 12-8 win in Eugene on April 12, 2019.
5 - Junior defender Logan Gierke racked up a career-high 5 caused turnovers on Feb. 28, the most by a Duck since March 2017.
10 - Hanna Hilcoff - who leads UO with 11 goals through 4 games - has scored multiple goals in 10 of her first 11 career games.
44 - Senior Alle Dunbar is No. 3 in the Pac-12 with 44 total saves through four games, including a career-high 14 vs. Marquette.
Series History Vs. California
Oregon owns a 14-9 lead in the all-time series with California, winning the most recent matchup - a 12-8 victory in Eugene on April 12, 2019 - to record the first career Pac-12 victory for head coach Chelsea Hoffmann. The Ducks are 10-3 against the Golden Bears since the start of the 2011 season, and Oregon has won each of the last four meetings in Eugene.
Heartbreaker in Michigan
Oregon put together its most complete performance so far this season on Feb. 28 in Mount Pleasant, Mich., but the Ducks came up just short in a bid for their first win of 2021 as Central Michigan escaped with a 12-11 overtime victory. Oregon took a 7-6 lead into halftime before the Chippewas moved ahead 11-9, but goals from Hanna Hilcoff and Lillian Stump pulled the Ducks back even and forced the game into overtime. UO looked to have its first win of the season on a goal from Morgan McCarthy in the first three minutes of overtime, but the score was waved off because of a dangerous follow through. The Chippewas then found the back of the net with 34 seconds left in the period to escape with a victory. Hilcoff and Stump each recorded hat tricks for the Ducks, and both McCarthy and Lindsay Clarke - who made her first career start - added two goals.
Hilcoff Picking Up Right Where She Left Off
Hanna Hilcoff made an immediate impact for the Ducks last season as a freshman, and the Jupiter, Fla., native has picked up where she left off through the first four games of her sophomore season. Hilcoff scored two goals in each of Oregon's first two games before accounting for all of UO's offense with four goals on Feb. 26 at Marquette, and she added a hat trick on Feb. 28 at Central Michigan. Hilcoff now owns six career games with a hat trick or better, and she has scored multiple goals in 10 of her first 11 games to open her collegiate career. Hilcoff also leads Oregon with 13 total draw controls so far this season, sixth-most in the Pac-12.
Last season, Hanna Hilcoff...
» Was one of 15 players and one of only three freshmen nationally to record at least 20 goals (22) and 40 draw controls (44).
» Led Oregon and ranked second in the Pac-12 in both goals and draw controls.
» Became the first freshman to lead Oregon in goals since Shannon Williams in 2016.
» Ranked second nationally among freshmen in draw controls while ranking fourth in goals and sixth in points (26).
» Finished with four hat tricks, headlined by a UO single-game record-tying seven-goal performance in the 2020 finale vs. Fresno State.
» Matched the UO single-game record with 10 draw controls on 2/21/20 at No. 10 Denver.
Career Day For Gierke in Michigan
Junior Logan Gierke - a team captain for Oregon on the defensive end - enjoyed a career performance the last time the Ducks took the field. Gierke racked up a career-high five caused turnovers at Central Michigan to become the first Duck since March 2017 with four or more caused turnovers in a game, and she also led the Ducks with a career-best six ground balls. Gierke has six total caused turnovers on the season, tied for the second-most in the Pac-12.
Dunbar Racking Up The Saves
Senior goalkeeper Alle Dunbar has been racking up saves through the first four games of her senior season, ranking third in the Pac-12 with 44 total entering Saturday's home opener. Dunbar entered 2021 with a career-high of 12 saves - done in the 2020 season finale vs. Fresno State - and has bested that mark twice already this season with 13 in the season opener at SDSU and 14 on Feb. 26 at Marquette. Dating back to 2020, Dunbar has recorded 56 total saves in her last five games.
Freshmen Stepping Up
The Ducks started three true freshmen midfielders - Haley Cummins, Nakeeya McCardell and Morgan McCarthy - in each of the first four games of the season, and freshman attacker Lindsay Clarke joined that mix on Feb. 28 at Central Michigan with her first career start. Clarke, McCardell and McCarthy each have three goals apiece so far this season while Cummins has two, and the quartet has combined for 14 total points, 15 ground balls and six caused turnovers through four games.