In their season opener today at Papé Field, the women’s lacrosse team fell just short to Dartmouth in overtime 8-7.

It was evident the players had some first-game jitters with both teams coming out a little sloppy in the first half, missing pass and ground ball opportunities. The Ducks were the first to get on the scoreboard with a goal from Nikki Puszcz. Puszcz was the leading scorer for the Ducks last year with 39 goals and poses as one of Ducks main offensive threats.

As the half continued, Dartmouth moved the ball around well, forcing the Oregon defense to use a lot of energy. With Dartmouth passing well, the Big Green got on the board with a goal from Hana Bowers. Soon after, Bowers scored another goal making the score 2-1.

About halfway through the end of the first half, the Ducks tied up the score 2-2 with junior Shannon Propst scoring an unassisted goal. The Ducks headed into the locker only giving up two goals due to junior goalkeeper Caroline Federighi making big stops throughout the half.

“I thought our offense was super patient,” said head coach Jen Larsen Beck. ”Taking care of the ball, I thought we could have done a little better. When you have the No. 12 defense against you, it is sort of a confidence booster for our offense.”

Oregon was first to get on the board in the second half with a goal from midfielder Devon Frazer. The team was able to continue their lead with a goal from Sami Kiser, putting the Ducks up 5-3.

However, Dartmouth easily answered back scoring three straight, taking the lead 6-5.

With 12 minutes left in the game, the Ducks tied up the score with a goal from Puszcz. Just over a minute later the Ducks scored again, with a goal from Carly O’Connor, giving them a one goal lead.

However, the team did not hold that lead for long, with Dartmouth’s goal from Frances Bird making the score even at 7-7.

“First games of the season, nerves are kicking in. This is a really good team and you want to try to prove yourself,” said Puszcz. “We realize that we have a big spot to fill, we were champions last year, and we want to keep that going. First game, everyone is nervous but we feel confident coming out here.”

Dartmouth was able to convert two out of its six free position attempts while the Ducks went 0-for-4. The Ducks finished with 15 ground balls; Dartmouth scooped up 13. The Ducks committed 11 turnovers to Dartmouth’s 13.

Turning point. With the scored tied at the end of regulation, the game headed into overtime. In the first three-minute overtime, both teams were scoreless. With seconds left in the second overtime Dartmouth had control on offense and took advantage. At the one-minute mark, Oregon double-teamed Dartmouth to create defensive pressure, leaving Liz Calby open for the easy goal against Federighi. In the final minute of overtime, Dartmouth controlled possession, leaving Oregon with no opportunity to score.

“I thought the defense played really well … You know the pressure, but there is no avoiding it. You either do it or you don’t and unfortunately I didn’t do it this time. You just get over it and try to make the save. You try to make the best chance that you have,” Federighi said.

“It was a bummer of an outcome, especially since we fought so hard. We are definitely walking off the filed wishing the outcome was different but knowing that we learned something about ourselves and our team to fix or the next game,” Beck said.

On the horizon. The Ducks will have less than 24 hours to prepare for its next game, facing Cincinnati tomorrow at 12 p.m. at Papé Field.