On the Road Again: Ducks Face ASU Friday in Tempe

EUGENE, Ore. - Coming off a pair of strong performances at home, the Oregon lacrosse hits the road again this weekend to face Arizona State on Friday in Tempe before heading to Los Angeles to square off with USC on Sunday.

Game Details
Matchup: Oregon (1-5, 1-1) at Arizona State (5-2, 2-1)
Date: Friday, March 26, 2021
Location: Tempe, Ariz.
Venue: Sun Devil Soccer/Lacrosse Stadium
Start Time: 1 p.m. PT
Live Stats: http://www.statbroadcast.com/events/statmonitr.php?gid=asu
Live Stream: https://pac-12.com/live/arizona-state-university-2

Did you Know?
Hanna Hilcoff is scoring goals at a torrid pace to open her UO career, racking up 22 through six games as a sophomore and 44 through the first 13 games of her career. Hilcoff owns eight career games with a hat trick or better, including four straight entering this weekend.

Numbers to Know
9 - The Ducks allowed a season-low 9 goals in Saturday's Pac-12-opening win over Cal, with Alle Dunbar recording 9 saves. 
22 - Hanna Hilcoff ranks No. 3 in the Pac-12 with 22 goals through six games; she has scored multiple goals in 12 of 13 career games.
33 - Hanna Hilcoff (22) and Lillian Stump (11) have combined for 33 of Oregon's 60 total goals to open the 2021 season.
61 - Senior Alle Dunbar is No. 4 in the Pac-12 with 61 total saves and No. 5 with a 43.0 save percentage through six games.

Series History Vs. Arizona State (Tied, 2-2)
Oregon vs. Arizona State has been pretty evenly matched since the Sun Devils added lacrosse in 2018, with each team picking up two wins through the first four matchups. The Ducks swept the season series in 2018, before the Sun Devils returned the favor with two wins in 2019. The last matchup was an instant classic, with Arizona State surviving the Ducks, 15-14, in double overtime in Tempe on April 5, 2019. Oregon and Arizona State did not meet during the shortened 2020 season. 

Ducks Find Both Frustration and Encouragement in Defeat
A huge surge to open the second half gave Oregon a four-goal lead over No. 17 Stanford on Monday, but the Cardinal finished stronger to win their 11th straight over the Ducks, 17-13. The result was frustrating but also encouraging for the Ducks, who scored the first five goals after halftime to lead 10-6. After Stanford rallied to an 11-11 tie, Lillian Stump and Hanna Hilcoff put Oregon up by two with 12:31 to play. But the Cardinal closed the game with six straight goals to come away with the win. "I think that's the best we've ever played," head coach Chelsea Hoffmann said. "I think that's the best this program has competed against a really strong opponent like Stanford. So, happy with the way we showed up; disappointed with the result." Hilcoff continued to dominate offensively, scoring a season-high six goals while Stump also recorded a hat trick with three. 

Hilcoff, Defense Lead Ducks to First Win in Home, Pac-12 Opener
Oregon notched its first win of the 2021 season in impressive fashion last Saturday, earning a 14-9 victory over California in the Ducks' home and Pac-12 opener at Papé Field. The Ducks were led by five goals from sophomore sensation Hanna Hilcoff, who was one of four Ducks to score multiple goals and one of seven to find the back of the net overall. The offensive attack was aided by an impressive day from Oregon's defense, which caused 14 total turnovers and was led by veteran defenders Olivia Mannon and Rachel Williams. Senior goalie Alle Dunbar was solid in the net, allowing a season-low nine goals with nine saves while seeing 32 total shots. Oregon's win was made more impressive by the fact that the Ducks hadn't played in three weeks after missing two games due to pandemic protocols. "I think it was a team effort from start to finish," head coach Chelsea Hoffmann said. "They really showed a lot of resiliency. It was really fun to put it all together."

Hilcoff Continues Torrid Start To Career
Hanna Hilcoff made an immediate impact for the Ducks last season as a freshman, and the Jupiter, Fla., native has picked up right where she left off through the first six games of her sophomore season. After scoring two goals in each of the first two games, Hilcoff has recorded a hat trick or better in four straight games with four at Marquette (Feb. 26), three at Central Michigan (Feb. 28), five in Saturday's win over California and a season-high six in Monday's tight loss to No. 17 Stanford, and she has multiple goals in 12 of her first 13 career games. Hilcoff enters this weekend as the only player in the Pac-12 with at least 20 goals and 20 draw controls, ranking third in the league with 22 goals and sixth with 20 draw controls. Hilcoff has accounted for more than a third of Oregon's 60 total goals through six games, while she and senior Lillian Stump (11 goals) have combined to score more than half of the team's goals. 

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. 

Dunbar Racking Up The Saves
Senior goalkeeper Alle Dunbar has been racking up saves through the first six games of her senior season, ranking fourth in the Pac-12 with 61 total and No. 5 with a 43.0 save percentage. 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. Dunbar was solid in net for the Ducks' in last Saturday's win over Cal, allowing a season-low nine goals with nine saves. Dating back to the 2020 finale, Dunbar has recorded 73 total saves in her last seven 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 has joined the mix after starting each of the last three games. Sydnie Soto became the first UO freshman to start on defense this season, joining the lineup for each of the last two games. 
Clarke, McCardell and McCarthy are all tied for third on the team with five goals apiece, and Clarke leads the Ducks with five assists after dishing out four on Monday vs. Stanford. McCardell is tied for the team lead with 10 caused turnovers, and McCarthy is second in draw controls (10) and tied for third in ground balls (10). Cummins has two goals and six draw controls in six games, five starts.