The Oregon Ducks women’s lacrosse team will play against the University of Michigan on Sunday, March 29, in Ann Arbor as part of a Midwest road trip that also includes a game at Ohio State. The Ducks return to the road for the first time since February for these Big Ten Conference matchups.
This meeting marks the fourth contest between Oregon and Michigan in program history and their second as Big Ten opponents. Oregon leads the all-time series 2-1, but Michigan secured a 14-9 victory last season in Eugene. Sunday’s game will be held at U-M Lacrosse Stadium and is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. Pacific Time.
The Ducks are seeking their first win as members of the Big Ten Conference after facing several ranked teams this spring. Seven teams from the conference appear in the IWLCA Top-25 rankings, including No. 3 Maryland, who recently visited Eugene. During that matchup, Gabby Santucci scored three goals while goalkeeper Francesca Viteritti anchored a defense that forced 15 turnovers against Maryland’s offense. Last weekend, Oregon faced another tough opponent with No. 11 Northwestern visiting Papé Field before starting their current road trip with a loss to No. 25 Ohio State.
Oregon’s offense has seen contributions from eighteen different players so far this season, with thirteen scoring more than one goal each. Anna Simmons leads with eighteen goals; Gabby Santucci, Emma Ing, Lyla Hurley, and Avery Young have also reached double digits in scoring. Ing recorded six goals against San Diego State—the most by any Duck player in a single game this year—while Lilly Fortin became the first on her team to reach double-digit assists.
In goalkeeping news for Oregon, sophomore Kate Shields played an important role during an overtime win over Arizona State earlier this season by recording ten saves after entering at the start of the second quarter—a figure just shy of her career best set last year against San Diego State. Shields started four consecutive games afterward and recently returned as starter for conference play versus Ohio State.
Transfer goalkeeper Francesca Viteritti has also made significant contributions since joining Oregon’s roster this season by earning three straight wins following her breakout performance against UC Davis and helping limit Delaware State and Kent State to just one goal each—matching a defensive record achieved only four times in program history.
