EUGENE, Ore. -- Alex Breiner had one of three University of Oregon hat tricks and Anna Poponyak made a school-record 18 saves to lead the Ducks over Virginia Tech, 15-10, in a non-conference game at Pape' Field.

Breiner, a sophomore, led all players with six points, including three second-half assists, as Oregon (10-3) fought back from an early 4-1 deficit to close out its 2009 home schedule.

"This was a great way to finish the season," said Jen Larsen, UO's fifth-year head coach. "It's a good day to be a Duck."

Poponyak, one of six seniors honored prior to their final home contest, faced 34 shots and allowed just three goals off Virginia Tech's 13 free position attempts. Among her 18 stops was the 500th of her UO career. "This was a great way to send the seniors out, and it showed what we have for the future as well," Larsen said. "They have been a phenomenal senior class all four years. Having them was invaluable. They taught us what leadership looks and feels like."

The Hokies (7-8) received three-goals apiece from Rachel Culp and Jessica Nonn, and goalkeeper Kari Morrison played much stronger than the final score indicated, making 14 saves while facing 38 shots.

Oregon's rookie duo of Jana Drummond and Jess Drummond had three goals each with Jana picking up the eventual game-winner. The sisters combined to score five or UO's eight goals after halftime.

Trailing 5-3 with under eight minutes to play in the first half, the Ducks closed out the period on a 4-0 run for a 7-5 lead.

Virginia Tech pulled within a goal 47 seconds into the second half as Culp connected, but Jess Drummond answered for the Ducks less than two minutes later.

The two sides continued to trade goals for most of the final frame and Oregon's lead was 11-10 with 4:33 to play after another Culp strike. But just like the end of the first half, the Ducks ran off four in a row down the stretch.

QUACK TRACKS: SR Ilsa van den Berg scored two goals and tied Jen May's school mark for career points at 185 ... The Ducks ended up with a 6-1 home record on the season, winning their final six after a season-opening loss to Stanford on Feb. 7 ... Oregon improved to 2-0 all-time against Virginia Tech.

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EUGENE, Ore. – The Virginia Tech women's lacrosse team hit the road for one last time this season, but the home-team University of Oregon Ducks came out on top of a 15-10 decision in a non-conference match played at Pape' Field on Saturday afternoon. Rachel Culp (Sr., Kent, Ohio) paced the Hokie attack with three goals and an assist, while Allie Emala (So., Baltimore, Md.) and Jessica Nonn (Fr., Catonsville, Md.) added two goals and an assist and three goals respectively.

With the loss, Tech falls to 7-8 overall (1-3 Atlantic Coast Conference). The Ducks pick up their 10th win of the year and move to 10-3 overall (3-1 Mountain Paci! c Sports Federation) after defeating the Hokies for the second-straight season. Oregon now holds the 2-0 advantage in the series between the two squads.

The long travel didn't appear to affect Tech early in the match as the Hokies staked a 4-1 lead in the opening 15 minutes of the game. Dylan Garner (So., Cornelius, N.C.) scored Tech's ! rst goal off an assist from Joanna Kiser (So., Severna Park, Md. ) four minutes into the match and free position goals from Emala and Nonn completed the Hokies' run.

However, the Ducks came storming back to close out the ! rst half on a 6-1 run and entered the intermission with a 7-5 advantage.

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2009-04-11