OSU freshman attacker Avery Murphy (27) during a game against Cincinnati on March 11 at Ohio Stadium. Credit: Courtesy of OSU
The No. 17 Ohio State women’s lacrosse team toppled Binghamton and Hofstra over the weekend, allowing it to ride a seven-game win streak home from New York.
The Buckeyes beat Binghamton 10-5 on Friday. Sophomore attackman Molly Wood led OSU with four goals, while senior attackman Cian Dabrowski added two goals and three assists. Dabrowski leads the team with 25 goals this season.
Most of the scoring happened in the first period after senior midfielder Kelsey Gallagher set the tone, scoring a goal a mere two minutes in. Binghamton tied it up a minute later, and the game remained tied until junior midfielder Paulina Constant scored the first of three straight goals from the Buckeyes, giving them a 4-1 lead.
The game went back and forth from there, but Wood scored two consecutive goals to give OSU a 8-4 advantage at halftime.
Wood scored another goal just 33 seconds into the second half, making the score 9-4 in favor of OSU. Dabrowski added the last Buckeye goal with 20 minutes left. Senior goalkeeper Katie Frederick earned the win, registering six saves. The Buckeye defense had a solid performance, holding the Bearcats to five goals, and OSU outshot Binghamton 32-15 and forced 20 turnovers.
OSU then beat Hofstra in an 18-8 victory on Sunday. The win marked OSU coach Alexis Venechanos’ 100th career victory and boosted the Buckeyes’ record to 9-1, which equals the program record for the best start to a campaign.
Dabrowski tallied a career-high six goals on just seven shots, giving her 100 goals for her career. Wood added four goals and tied her career high with 13 draw controls. Senior attackman Rainey Hodgson contributed five assists on the day. She has 20 assists on the year, which already eclipses her season total from 2015.
The Buckeyes were in control the entire game, netting the first nine goals of the match, the first of which came just 15 seconds in. OSU held a 14-3 advantage in draw controls in the first half and outshot the Pride 18-7. OSU led the game 14-3 by halftime.
The Buckeyes’ biggest lead was 18-3 with 20 minutes left, before they surrendered five goals after the game was already out of reach. Frederick picked up another win, making two saves in the game.
OSU is primed to be back in action Saturday for its Big Ten opener against Michigan. The game is slated to start at 3 p.m. in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
