Mother Nature tried to stop Ohio State’s men’s lacrosse team, but she was unable to control them.

The Buckeyes were scheduled to play the University of Massachusetts on Saturday, but because of inclement weather, the Minutemen were unable to make the trip. That left the Buckeyes scrambling to find an opponent to play.

OSU was able to get Detroit Mercy to make the trip south to play the Buckeyes. The Buckeyes did not have time to plan or watch film on Detroit Mercy, but were still able to win with ease.

Mercy scored the first goal, but after that it was all Buckeyes. By the end of the first-half, OSU was up 10-2. They finished the game with a 16-7 victory.

Eight different players scored in the first half for OSU as the Buckeyes showed balance on the offensive side of the ball.

“We came out flying around at the beginning,” senior goalie Brandon Freeman said. “I think it’s important to get a fast start. We re-grouped ourselves, came out in the second-half, fooled around, and finished the game.”

Dominance was something the Buckeyes were trying not to think about. Coach Nick Myers said at halftime they talked about playing “Buckeye lacrosse.” Senior Mario Ventiquattro echoed the same thoughts.

Ventiquattro said the team tries to have fun and play hard, and when they do that good things happen. He added that once the throttle is on the ground, they keep it there, not letting up, focusing on converting and getting better as a team.

In the second half, the Buckeyes outscored Mercy by only one goal, 6-5.

“We played everyone today, and that is always great,” Meyers said. OSU was able to play 41 different players, including 15 freshmen.

One player who made the most of his opportunity was sophomore Mike Smail. Smail came off the bench and was able to score three goals.

Mercy started to score some goals once the Buckeyes made a major change. With the win intact, Meyers took Freeman out halfway through the third quarter and put in freshman goalie Ryan Brant.

“I thought he [Brant] made some spectacular saves; probably some of the best saves of the day,” Meyers said. Meyers went on to say he wished the defense would have played better to help out the young goalie.

OSU was able to get away with an easy win, but Myers said the team still has some things to work on. The Buckeyes will return to action next Saturday in Columbus against Penn State.