By Mario Ponce

EUGENE, Ore. - The Oregon Ducks women’s lacrosse team (1-0) will host the St. Francis Red Flash (0-0) on Friday in their second game of the season, the first for the visitors. The Ducks are in good spirits following their win in their first game under new head coach and team alumna Jessica Drummond.

Oregon Ducks:

Last season was difficult for the Ducks, who finished last in the conference with a 5-12 overall record and a 1-9 Pac-12 record, but many things are different now. The conference itself is changing as the San Diego State Aztecs and the UC Davis Aggies joined, and the program has a new coach in Jessica Drummond. Drummond played as a midfielder from 2009 to 2012 and then became a coach, finding lots of success with the Vermont Catamounts. She led that team to its first America East Tournament championship in 2022, and now there are expectations that she will turn Oregon’s fortunes around and lead the team out of the basement. In the Ducks’ first game, nine players scored goals as the team beat the Youngstown State Penguins 19-8. Senior midfielder Morgan McCarthy is the current player with the most goals and points in the program, so she's definitely a player to look at this season.

St Francis Red Flash:

The Red Flash had a good 2023, finishing with a 10-6 overall record and a 5-3 record in the Northeast Conference. Head coach Tracy Coyne is in her fifth season in the team and 35th overall, and she’s ranked seventh among all active NCAA Division I coaches in wins. Last season, the Red Flash broke various program records, finishing with double-digit wins for the first time and with the longest winning streak in program history at six consecutive wins. Sophomore attacker Bella Fisher led the team in scoring last year with 24 goals and was named 2023 NEC Rookie of the Year, and St Francis looks to her to lead the team again in her second campaign.

Prediction:

This will be an interesting and tight game for Oregon. The Ducks are certainly a different team today than they were last year, and had a momentum generating first win last week, but face stiff competition against a good Red Flash team that looks to prove themselves in their first ever Power-5 match up. The match will be close, and I predict a 6-3 win for St. Francis.