The Oregon Ducks (11) gained valuable experience on the road to Denver during their Spring Break road trip to southern California. On consecutive days the Oregon men played San Diego State University (23,) Loyola Marymount (20,) and Chapman University (2.) Facing three Top 25 teams back to back was certainly a stiff test for the Ducks, but one the coaching staff believed would aid them in postseason play when it is necessary to play top teams with little to no rest in between games.

The U of O started their games against 23rd ranked San Diego State Thursday in what proved to be a close battle. The Aztecs started strong and led 4-1 after the first quarter after numerous Oregon turnovers resulted in offensive opportunities as the Ducks shook off the rust from their travel. The one saving grace for the University of Oregon was the play of sophomore goalie Nick Johnston who made 10 saves in the first quarter alone to keep his team in the contest.

After weathering the strong San Diego State start, the Ducks bounced back, finding their offensive rhythm and finally taking control of the lead in the middle of the fourth quarter. After the strong Aztec start, the vaunted Oregon defense clamped down on SDSU's scorers and only allowed five more goals. The game was a fight for every possession and the Ducks won out in the end, with a final score of 10-9.

The next day Oregon travelled to Loyola Marymount University to play the 20th ranked Lions. The Ducks opened the game with four goals, but some rare defensive mistakes for Oregon allowed the game to be tied after the first quarter at four goals apiece. After a slow-paced second quarter the Ducks went into halftime down by one, 6-5.

The adjustments made during halftime by Head Coaches Andrew Clough and John Wright seemed to work in the third quarter, as the Ducks put in two goals early but they would prove to be the team's last for the game. LMU won the ground ball battle throughout the day, swarming for every possession and holding the ball for the majority of the second half and that eventually wore down the Ducks. LMU won by a final score of 12-7 in a disappointing loss for the U of O.

After the unacceptable loss to LMU, the Ducks looked to surprise the Chapman Panthers Saturday night at Ernie Chapman Stadium. Oregon looked like a different team than the Ducks that had lost to Loyola the previous day out of the gate, holding a Chapman team that had averaged four goals in the first five minutes of their games to only one goal throughout the entire first quarter. The Ducks were once again led by Nick Johnston and a solid defensive unit in the opening half, and were bolstered by an Oregon offense that had possession for the majority of the half to lead 7-6 at halftime.

The second half was a different story as the physical toll of three consecutive games caught up to the Ducks as their clearing game failed repeatedly and slower feet led to some costly penalties. The U of O never gave up on the game and competed to the best of their ability until the final whistle but Chapman came out on top, 15-8. Co-Head Coach Andrew Clough said of the road trip, "We proved to ourselves that we can compete with anyone in the country in the Chapman game. Now we just need to put together a complete game with the same intensity and fire that we came out with against the Panthers in order to beat the top teams that we have coming up on our schedule."

The upcoming schedule doesn't get any easier for the Ducks, who host third ranked Simon Fraser Friday night and a talented Washington team that is looking to break into the Top 25 with an upset win on Sunday in two must-win PNCLL games for the Oregon squad. Senior captain Will DeSiervo said of the forthcoming contests, "We're definitely looking forward to showing that we can beat anyone in the country. I think both games will be hard fought but we're confident in our ability as a team." Check www.oregonlacrosse.org for times and directions to both games.

2009-03-31