Ohio State’s men’s and women’s lacrosse teams have both been strong on the field this season. Not only are both teams currently ranked, but they have also combined to post a 15-5 record ahead of today’s men’s game against Penn State. The only loss in their first nine games of the season for the Buckeye men came against top-ranked Notre Dame by just a goal earlier this month.
The last time the Ohio State men’s lacrosse team was on the field was on Saturday when they traveled to New Jersey to take on Rutgers
in their first Big Ten game of the season. After Garrett Haas tied the game 1-1 in the first quarter with his 19th goal of the season, the Scarlet Knights rattled off three goals in the second quarter to take a 4-1 lead into halftime.
The Buckeyes responded with goals from Russell Melendez and Liam White in the third quarter to pull within a goal before Rutgers pushed their lead to 5-3 heading into the fourth quarter. Freshman Khalif Hocker scored at 13:39 of the fourth and then tied the game 10 minutes later to force overtime. Alex Mariner was the hero in overtime for Ohio State, as his goal not only secured the win, but it also resulted in the only lead of the game for the Buckeyes.
After Caleb Fyock made his ninth start of the season, backup Jack Allen came up big in goal for Ohio State. Allen made 10 saves in 39:05 on the field to record his first career win. Despite allowing three goals and making just two saves against the Scarlet Knights, Fyock has still been one of the best goalies in the country this season, posting a 7-1 record with a 6.61 goals against average and a .582 save percentage. The Buckeyes have now outscored opponents 104-57 through nine games.
Allen was named the Big Ten’s Specialist of the Week for his performance against Rutgers, while Cullen Brown was named the Big Ten’s Defenseman of the Week. Along with what Allen was able to do in goal for Ohio State, Brown caused a season-high four turnovers and scooped up four ground balls in the win. With the turnovers he forced on Saturday, Brown now has caused the most turnovers during a career in program history.
Entering Saturday’s game, Garrett Haas and Alex Mariner were tied for the team lead with 18 goals. After the victory against Rutgers, Haas and Mariner are still tied after both had a goal on Sunday. When it comes to overall points, Haas leads the team with 34 points, 11 more than Mariner has through nine games. Liam White is third on the team with 16 points, one ahead of Khalif Hocker, who has 14 goals and an assist in his freshman season. Russell Melendez is the fifth Buckeye with at least 10 points on the season, as his goal against Rutgers allowed him to reach double digits.
Following the loss to Notre Dame earlier this month, Ohio State has beaten Denver and Rutgers, with both teams being ranked in the top-25. The schedule doesn’t get any easier for Nick Myers’ team. The next three games for the Buckeyes are against Penn State, Maryland, and Johns Hopkins, who are all currently ranked. Then, Ohio State closes out its regular season at home against Michigan before the Big Ten Tournament.
Women’s lacrosse
Heading into Thursday night’s contest against Oregon, Ohio State’s women’s lacrosse team had been slumping, losing its previous two games to Rutgers and Johns Hopkins. The Buckeyes broke their skid in a big way, smashing Oregon 20-2 in Columbus.
The game changed when the Buckeyes reeled off 18 straight goals after the game was tied 1-1 in the first quarter. Ohio State’s defense was dominant in the win, not allowing Oregon to score for 43 minutes after its first goal of the game. Camryn Callaghan and Zoe Coleman led the offensive attack for the Buckeyes, with each player scoring four goals. Annie Hargraves and Kate Tyack each had three goals. This marked the ninth time this season that Ohio State has scored at least 10 goals in a game.
By tying her career-high with seven points, Kate Tyack pushed her team-leading point total to 47 points on the season, five more than Camryn Callaghan. While Tyack has the team’s point lead, Callaghan can claim the goal lead, as her 32 goals are two more than Tyack has netted.
Maddy Paz added two goals and two assists in the win over Oregon, her ninth multi-point game this year. Paz now has 32 points on the season. Overall, Ohio State has seven players with at least 13 goals this year. As a team, the Buckeyes are averaging 14.55 goals per game, while only giving up 9.82 goals per game. Jocelyn Torres has started all 11 games in goal, posting a 5-4 record with a 10.12 goals against average and .430 save percentage.
Ohio State is currently ranked 25th in the country, and will face a big test in their next game when they host fifth-ranked Michigan on Thursday. After the battle with the Wolverines, the Buckeyes host Penn State next Sunday before heading out west to take on USC. The last time Ohio State made the women’s lacrosse NCAA Tournament was back in 2015.
