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Cal Lacrosse Outlasts Oregon in Double Overtime

BERKELEY Molly Everett converted an eight-meter shot in the second overtime to give California a 13-12 sudden victory over No. 18 Oregon on Friday at Memorial Stadium. The Golden Bears had built a six-goal lead in the second half, but the Ducks outscored Cal, 7-1, the rest of the second half to send the game to overtime at 11-11.

Both teams scored once in the first OT before Everett's goal decided it with 15 seconds remaining in sudden victory. Senior goalkeeper Morgan Dyson made a career-high 16 saves against the Ducks in her final home game in Berkeley. Cal's record improved to 6-10 (4-2 MPSF), while Oregon's record moved to 10-4 (3-2 MPSF).

"I'm really proud of my team," Cal head coach Theresa Sherry said. "They worked very hard through the obstacles we faced this season. We really pulled through today and worked as a team, whereas in the past we struggled with playing as individuals, and that was the story for today: We worked today and made it happen. We had different lines set up for subbing, we had different people score who are not usually high scorers, so it was really fun to see people step up."

The Bears needed to defeat Oregon by more than two goals to clinch the No. 2 seed in next week's MPSF Tournament. However, an Oregon win over Saint Mary's (3-11, 1-4 MPSF) on Sunday, April 19, would tie the Ducks with Cal and Denver with a 4-2 MPSF record each. That would give Oregon the No. 2 seed and a first-round tournament match with winless Fresno State (0-13, 0-6 MPSF).

Oregon has a tiebreaker edge - margin of victory in head-to-head games between the three teams this season - over both Cal and Denver. The Ducks beat Denver by two goals, 11-9, while Denver only beat Cal by one goal, 11-10, and Cal defeated the Ducks by 1. Denver would then claim the third seed and Cal would claim the fourth seed, meaning the Bears would play a first-round conference tournament match against fifth-seeded UC Davis.

If Oregon loses to Saint Mary's, Cal would stand in a two-way conference tie with Denver at 4-2. Denver's tiebreaking win over the Bears would give the Pioneers the No. 2 seed. Cal would claim the No. 3 seed and a first-round tournament game with Saint Mary's. Oregon would be the fourth-seeded team in the tournament.

Prior to the Oregon game, Cal celebrated the careers of its five seniors - Dyson, attacker/midfielder Elizabeth T Jahp, defender Ghillie Little, attacker Sam Price and defender Stephanie Smith. Each senior contributed on her final game at Memorial Stadium. Along with Dyson's heroics, Jahp tied junior midfielder Alyse Kennedy with a game-high five draw controls, Price tallied one goal and two assists, and Little and Smith played tough defense.

Everett, a sophomore midfielder, was an unexpected heroine, as she scored her first three goals of the season today against the Ducks. The Virginia transfer tied Price (2 goals, 1 assist), Kennedy (3 goals) and junior defender DennaFaye Herald (1 goal, 2 assists) for the Cal lead in points with three.

"Molly is so versatile as a player, that we've had a hard time finding where to best put her on the field," Sherry said. "Today she played at both ends, but really she made the most impact on the attack. She was at the right places at the right times and she finished her shots. That was amazing, and it was awesome for her to kind of win the game as well."

Oregon's Jana Drummond paced all scorers with six goals and six points.

Dyson had to be sharp on Senior Day, as Oregon outshot Cal, 36-24, including 15-9 in the first half, after which the Ducks trailed, 5-3. The Cal goalie made nine of her 16 saves in the first half and saved all four of Ilsa van den Bergs first-half shots. Cal limited van den Berg, Oregon's leading scorer entering the match, to just two goals on eight overall shots.

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2009-04-18





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