Returning home from a tough road trip to Jacksonville with a 2-0 record, the Ohio State men’s lacrosse team will set its sights on this weekend’s home matchup with the Marquette Golden Eagles.
Led by senior attacker and captain Logan Schuss’ nine goals over the past two games, the Buckeyes’ offense has been flying high this season, averaging 11.5 goals per game in the first two games of the season. It also earned Schuss Eastern College Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week honors.
Sophomore midfielder Jesse King, who scored two goals Sunday against Jacksonville, said he looks to continue that trend against Marquette.
“I think it’s our whole offense, we are slowly starting to come together and build that chemistry between us,” King said. “I know we have the first two lines, that everyone is very capable of scoring.”
Two areas in which the Buckeyes struggled during the preseason were winning groundballs and turnovers, and coach Nick Myers said he put a heavy focus on those issues heading into the year. The coach’s message has apparently sunk in as OSU leads its opponents 59-45 in groundballs won. “Groundballs is a stat that speaks to extra possession, that speaks to an effort level, that speaks to a tenacity that certainly we pride ourselves on,” Myers said. “That’s a key component to our success.”
A win Saturday is much needed for OSU, which hopes to capture as many wins as possible before what might be a touch stretch in the month of March. Five of the Buckeyes six games in March are against teams ranked in the top 11, including current No. 3 Notre Dame and No. 1 Loyola (Md.).
Freshman attacker Carter Brown knows the schedule ahead will be rough, but isn’t overlooking an inexperienced Golden Eagles squad.
“We got the board ‘beat Marquette’ in the locker room, just stick to our next game,” Brown said. “Coach has done a great job, telling us just don’t look past our next opponent.”
For OSU it is harder to prepare for a team like Marquette, who is in its first season as a program.
“I think people underestimate the ability with a first-year program,” Myers said. “It’s a little unsettling knowing they haven’t played and that we have no film. We have very little preparation, and I know they have film on us.”
The Buckeyes are scheduled to take on the Golden Eagles at 1 p.m. on Saturday at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center.