This weekend marked huge games for the Oregon women’s lacrosse team as they faced off against two tough conference opponents: Stanford and UC Davis. After finishing 3-5 in conference last season and falling short in making the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation tournament, the Oregon women’s lacrosse team has shown strength in conference place so far this season.
Oregon headed into Friday’s matchup against Stanford undefeated in conference and sitting in third place in MPSF standings.
However, the 12th-ranked Cardinal was too much for the Ducks to handle, as Stanford defeated the Ducks 15-7. The loss also caused Oregon to fall to fourth place in the MPSF standings.
“We definitely had a more potent offensive game plan that we were not able to execute,” head coach Jen Beck said after the loss. “I think we just got caught up in not taking care of the things that we could control and we just need to fix those, change the confidence level and make sure we are executing on a different level.”
On Sunday, Beck was pleased with the team’s poise against an aggressive Davis team, as the Ducks earned their fourth conference win with an 8-4 win.
Heading into the season, Beck said she was impressed with the team’s play during fall and saw potential in many players to step up.
Oregon’s class of seniors is a talented group led by goalie Caroline Federighi, Nikki Puszcz and Oregon’s all-time leader in points and assists Shannon Propst.
Federighi has been solid with 71 saves on the season. The senior from Pleasanton, Calif., also received a conference honor for Defensive Player of the Week after her performance in the Bay Area against California and St. Mary’s.
Beck praised Federighi after Stanford’s game, calling her a fantastic goalie. Beck echoed that in a game like Stanford — where there are a lot of goals — she doesn’t want Federighi to get down on herself.
Propst leads the team in assists this season with 34 and is the second leading goal scorer with 24, behind senior Puszcz with 31. Beck has previously referred to Propst as selfless and is often the key person to help the team connect.
“When I am on the field (my record) is something that I never think about, it’s always for the team and trying to get the win,” Propst said. “It’s really my team that helps me get those assists, if they weren’t finishing the shots I wouldn’t be getting the points.”
For Oregon to be successful in the rest of conference play they we need to stay consistent and strong.
“I think we need to watch film again, watch our past couple of games,” Puszcz said. “Focusing on fixing our issues, it starts with the little things, the details, stick work, all that stuff. We don’t want to think too far ahead because it is really just one game at a time at this point.”
Oregon’s trip to Southern California will be a key weekend for the Ducks when the team faces conference opponents USC and San Diego State. If the Ducks can manage a win against both teams, that will help their placement in MPSF standings. Oregon faces the Trojans on Friday in Los Angeles, Calif.
Follow Beth Maiman on Twitter @bethamaiman