Written By Jakob Salao
The Oregon Ducks (5-7) began their final home series weekend on Friday with a 12-11 come-from-behind victory against the Arizona State Sun Devils (4-9).
The Sun Devils began the game a step ahead of the Ducks. Despite Goalie Paige Crowther getting 6 saves in the first half, ASU seemed to fire off an overwhelming number of shots and they went into halftime with a 3-7 lead. The first quarter was a dominant performance from ASU as the Ducks struggled to keep up. But as the Ducks moved into the second quarter, Attacker Morgan McCarthy shifted gears and scored a hat-trick in the second quarter alone. At halftime, Head Coach Chelsea Hoffman made sure to keep the spirits of the team high.
“They had a lot of belief,” Hoffman said. “They actually had a lot of conversations in the locker room that was productive to the areas that we need to strengthen in the second half.”
The Ducks came out a completely different team in the second half. After Oregon won the initial draw control, ASU’s defense seemed to be caught off guard and Attacker Alyssa Wright assisted Attacker Madysn Sweeney for the opening goal of the second half, bringing the score to 4-7. A second draw-control battle later, and the Ducks took possession once again. A foul on ASU created a free position opportunity for McCarthy once again, and she was able to convert and cut into the lead even further, bringing the Ducks within 2.
However, Defender Logan Gierke for the Ducks went down with an apparent knee injury, and the Sun Devils were able to capitalize with a goal of their own. Oregon’s offense did not falter though, as Cleveland scored two straight goals for Oregon, forcing a timeout as the Ducks closed in on the lead. Both teams battled as the third quarter closed as ASU was unable to build upon their lead further, but the Ducks could not take the lead themselves. Oregon went into the final quarter of action trailing 9-10.
“We love coming back in the second half,” Wright said. “Morgan had a hell of a first-half kind of on her own, and I think we all just decided to back her up.”
In the final quarter of this game, the Ducks were able to steal away the initial draw control once again, but the Sun Devils continued to battle against them. After ASU scored one, Attacker Alyssa Wright scored two straight for the Ducks, including a near-horizontal diving goal to tie the game for the first time since the opening draw.
The momentum was in the hands of the Ducks, as the defense held strong and Sweeney found her second goal to give the Ducks their first lead of the game. As Oregon led for the first time on the day, the Sun Devils were not able to answer and Oregon closed out with their first Pac-12 victory of the season.
For Oregon, Crowther finished the game with 8 saves through 60 minutes. McCarthy led the offense with 4 goals, followed by Sweeney, Wright, and Cleveland who all added 2 apiece. However, one of the most significant stat lines was Haley Cummins’ 6 draw controls. At halftime, Oregon was down 3-9 in draw controls but changed the game plan at halftime and ended the game 13-14.
“She’s really smart in the draw,” Hoffman said, “she put the ball in different places all over the field and she wasn't scoutable.”
The Ducks will host USC in their final home game of the season this Sunday at 12 pm.