By Charles Martindale The Ducks lacrosse season began last weekend, and the team’s opening game was a pleasant contrast to how they played for much of the 2022 season. After going 4-14 last year, the Ducks took advantage of playing Xavier in their program debut, cruising to a 17-6 win. Oregon heads into Saturday’s game with something a little newer: momentum, as they continue to get a picture of what their 2023 team is made of following a win to start the season. They’ll have their work cut out for them however, playing host to a Niagara college team on a 2-0 start to their year, outscoring opponents 31-9 so far. The Purple Eagles went 9-9 in 2022, and 8-5 the year prior, so they definitely enter the contest as the more formidable program. After a 29 point 2022, junior midfielder Morgan McCarthy scored three times last saturday, along with five DC’s, to contribute in the win. Attackers Haley Cummins and Taylor Ryan are also a large part of the team’s offense, scoring three times last Saturday as well. While standout senior goalkeeper Cassidy Eckert is key, the Ducks offense got to experiment and work through things a bit more as the score widened last week, something that may be a bit harder against a team like Niagara. There is still a lot to be revealed for this Oregon team, after head coach Chelsea Hoffman brought in four new transfers to help shake things up for them. Along with the transfers, eight freshmen joined the ranks ahead of last week's opener. Saturday is the first time Oregon and Niagara have ever clashed in women’s lacrosse, and is the second of three home games to start the season in Eugene. As long as the Ducks are at home, they have much more of a fighting chance, going winless on the road last year. Coach Hoffman put it simply after the win last week: “we love playing at Pape Field”. Live on 88.1, 1 PM on Saturday, 2/18