Written By Jakob Salao
Eugene, Ore. — The Oregon Ducks Women’s Lacrosse team is set to take on their first opponent of the season, Xavier, on Saturday at 1 pm. The Ducks will be at home in Pape field, with a squad of players that many fans will recognize, along with some new additions to the team.
For the Xavier Musketeers, this is the first official women’s lacrosse game in program history and the first for their head coach Meg Decker.
Head Coach Chelsea Hoffman is in her 5th season with the Ducks, looking to improve her 12-43 career record at Oregon. To help her out, the Ducks recently promoted Associate Head Coach Caitlin Prince. Prince came on to the team last year and bolstered the attacking force for the Ducks, featuring 7 double-digit goal scorers for the first time since 2017 and two players (Shonly Wallace and Hanna Hilcoff) who scored 40+ goals for the first time since 2018.
Looking Back Last Year
The Ducks finished the 2022 season at 4-14 and were knocked out of the Pac-12 tournament by Stanford, after an impressive 14-10 win against Colorado. It wasn’t quite a season to remember for the Ducks, although they had some flashes of offensive prominence at times, it seemed that they could never string that together with defensive prowess and force stops against their opponents. Their only wins came against George Mason, Marquette, Cal, and Colorado (in the Pac-12 tournament), all of which were at home or a neutral site. The Ducks were winless (0-8) in their away games last year.
Statistically, the Ducks’ offense was led by Hanna Hilcoff and Shonly Wallace, who added 44 and 40 goals respectively. Lillian Stump was the 3rd highest scorer with 26 goals and was a commanding presence as one of the tallest on the team at 5’9. She seemed to tower over her opponents as one of the biggest players on the field when she was attacking outside the crease.
However, the Ducks will be without these three and many others heading into the 2023 season. Wallace transferred to the University of Albany, Hilcoff found her way to Clemson, and Stump graduated.
Returning Faces
One of the most important returners for the Ducks includes Goalkeeper Cassidy Eckert. The Junior was the only player to start all 18 games last year. She ended last year at 4th in the Pac-12 for saves (151) and save percentage (40.6%) and was 5th in the Pac-12 for goals against (221) and goals against/average (15.04). These marks also translate to the professional level as well, Eckert was one of the goalies for Team Canada in the 2022 World Championships.
Serving as the team captains for Oregon include veterans Morgan McCarthy, Lexie Likins, and Logan Gierke. McCarthy, a midfielder, started all 17 games she played in last season, adding on 25 goals (most for a returner), 4 assists, and was the preeminent woman in the circle for the Ducks as she led the team with 69 draw controls, good for 3rd most in school history. Likins and Gierke are both defenders and are two of the only players from last year’s squad to have played in every game.
Also returning for the Ducks are Alyssa Wright, Katie Collins, and Bailey Smith. All three women are capable scorers in their own right, and each recorded a hat trick last season. Collins led the three with 16 goals while Wright and Smith added on 10 apiece.
Transferring in
The Ducks have a slew of new players and each is slated to make an impact on the team. Through the transfer portal, the Ducks added four veterans to their squad.
Maggie Flynn, the 5th year defender is coming in from Duquesne. There, Flynn started in 32 of 37 games played as a team captain. She was ranked 2nd on the team and 7th in the Atlantic-10 with 1.29 caused turnovers per game.
Margot Hothman is a 5th-year defender from Temple. She started in 17 games, all as a senior, and tallied a total of 37 games played. She had 8 caused turnovers in her career and 22 career ground balls. Though she’s a defender, she also added 2 goals from 4 shots taken; not bad coming from a defender.
Kylee Manser is a Sophomore coming in from the University of Indianapolis. She played in 22 total games, including time in their win in the D-II national championship. She was 6th on the team with 24 goals, and placed 8th overall with 25 points… All of which she did without starting a single game. These accolades were good enough for her to earn All-GLVC Second Team honors as a freshman.
Following her from the University of Indianapolis is Sophomore Riley Taylor as well. She also played in 22 games, including the national championship as well. She was 7th on the team in points, tacking on 15 goals and 12 assists. Taylor is a consistent threat, scoring a goal in 8 straight games, with two games scoring 4 points.
Fresh Faces
Eight Freshmen are looking to leave a mark in their first season here at Oregon. All women were dominant in their high school careers, and have the potential to make an impact for the Ducks.
These Freshmen include Natalie Coutu from Bishop Guertin HS, Sydney Hoggard from Edison HS, Jadyn Laing from Oak Ridge HS, Grace Lichtenberger from Discovery Canyon Campus HS, Rachel Pallo from Valor Christian HS, Anna Simmons from Mount Si HS, Ava Sperling from Albany Academy for Girls, and Jenae Sperling from Mission Viejo HS.