Rain and cloudy skies seemed to be an ominous warning for women’s Oregon lacrosse (5-3, 0-1 Big Ten)Wednesday against No. 20 Ohio State (7-0, 1-0 Big Ten). The grey and cold atmosphere set the mood for the entire game, much to the Ducks’ misfortune in a 20-6 defeat.  

Wednesday’s was the Ducks’ first game within the Big Ten conference, something that they had high hopes for. 

It was a tough start for Oregon in the first quarter. Ohio State managed to get on the scoreboard first only a minute-and-a-half into the game with a goal from Buckeye midfielder Kampbell Stone. Nearly three minutes after Stone’s goal, Ohio State scored yet again making it a 0-2 Ducks’ deficit early on in the game. 

After a foul made by Ohio State, the Ducks were given their first opportunity to shorten the Buckeyes’ lead. Attacker Gabby Santucci had been the one to get Oregon’s first goal of the game, her first of many of the night, only trailing by one. 

Unfortunately, not long after Santucci’s goal, the Buckeyes scored two more goals in quick succession, establishing a 4-1 lead. They eventually gained an even bigger lead at the end of the first half, scoring two more goals. The Ducks managed to answer back and shorten the gap with goals from Emma Ing and Santucci towards the end of the first quarter, making it a three goal game. 

The second quarter had been a high scoring half for Ohio State as it managed to score six goals with only one Ducks goal in response. As the quarter progressed, Oregon seemed to lose its energy, causing it to put more pressure on itself as a result. The Buckeyes seemed to take advantage of the Ducks’ lack of momentum and shot in their weak spots throughout the entire game, finding success with nearly every shot attempted, making six additional goals just in the second quarter. 

“They were just a little cleaner than us. They had less mistakes,” Oregon head coach Jessica Drummond said. “I think that’s a team that capitalizes on any kind of mistakes. We want to make sure to limit the amount of turnovers and put the ball away in the future.” 

With only five-point-six seconds left in the second quarter, Ohio State managed to foul and give the Ducks an opportunity to make a free position shot. Santucci was successful in her attempt and brought the Ducks within eight with only seconds remaining in the second quarter. This shot happened to be her third of the night, making it three straight games with a hat trick for the attacker. 

“You see how tough she is,” Coach Drummond said when asked about Santucci’s performance. “She’s strong, gritty. She’s going to make it happen. I’m really proud of how much she shows up and competes every game.” 

The third and fourth quarters were where the Ducks saw a drastic decline in their performance, struggling to match the Buckeyes’ offense. Ohio State managed to score three goals in the third and five more in the fourth quarter while Oregon only scored two in the last half of the second period. The final two goals were scored by Lyla Hurley and Santucci, her fourth of the night. 

“I think it’s amazing to play a top-20 team,” head coach Drummond said. “It’s awesome to see that level of play and to see what we can rise to and accomplish. I think there were some great moments out on the field — a lot of hustle and great turnovers. We have a lot more to prove.” 

Despite the loss, the Ducks are still looking forward to playing against Rutgers at home on Sunday where they hope to come back and win on home turf. 

“Another gritty team. They just had a top-15 win against Stony Brook the other day,” Coach Drummond said when asked about the previous lessons Oregon has learned from facing Rutgers prior. “We’re excited to keep playing teams on our home turf and prove where we are.”