University of Oregon
2-0
High Point
0-2
Milner?s Late Goal Lifts UO Past HPU
02/15/15 | Women's Lacrosse
HIGH POINT, N.C. – A late game goal from Hayley Milner gave Oregon the win on Sunday at Vert Stadium as the Ducks snuck past High Point 9-8.
How It Happened: The Ducks (2-0) looked primed to score in the opening minutes, but it was High Point (0-2) who struck first. Carly O'Connell played a crucial role on the offensive end for UO early on, answering each HPU goal with one of her own.
Courtney Valdez gave UO its first lead of the game, 3-2, on a free-position shot at the 15:57 mark, but was short lived after the Panther' Kendyl Gardner put one past Janelle Parker to make it 3-3.
Both teams struggled to find the back of the net with temperatures reaching into the low teens. However, with 3:54 left to play in the first half, Valdez was able to pick up a rebound on the UO shot attempt and found a cutting Bella Pyne to give the Ducks a 4-3 lead. Just 35 seconds later, O'Connell picked up her first hat-trick of the season after faking out the HPU keeper and gave Oregon the 5-3 lead heading into the locker room.
Olivia Pyne extended the Ducks' lead to 6-3 three minutes into the second half. Oregon would get two more goals to take the 8-3 lead, but the Panthers did not go down without a fight. HPU's offense finally clicked in the second half and reeled off five-straight goals to tie things up at 8-8.
Milner, a redshirt senior, halted High Point's 5-0 run with a late goal to put the Ducks on top, 9-8, with 4:11 left to play. She would get the ensuing draw control, but a turnover by Oregon gave High Point an opportunity to score in the final two minutes of regulation.
Parker and the Ducks' defense stepped up in the waning moments of the game to deny the Panthers any hope of overtime and held on for the 9-8 win.
By The Numbers: The Ducks' defense again held strong down the stretch, forcing 17 turnovers…Parker's five saves is a new season-high for the redshirt freshman…Milner has now scored multiple goals in back-to-back games…Both teams had 5-0 runs, Oregon's stretched from the first half to the second, while High Point's came in a third of the way into the second half to tie things up at 8-8.
Up Next: Oregon will have two weeks to prepare for San Diego State when it hosts the first of its five-game homestand at noon on Saturday, Feb. 28, in its home opener and conference opener.
