OSU junior attacker Austin Shanks (11) during a game against Michigan on April 16 at Ohio Stadium. Credit: Samantha Hollingshead | Photo Editor
Senior attacker Carter Brown’s three goals on Sunday were not enough, as the Ohio State men’s lacrosse team (6-8, 1-3) lost to No. 5 Maryland (11-2, 4-0) by a score 10-8 in College Park, Maryland.
Brown continued his hot play of late, scoring three goals to follow up his two-goal, two-assist performance against Michigan on April 16 in the Showdown in the Shoe.
The loss is part of a roller-coaster season for OSU in which the Buckeyes won five of their first six games, lost six in a row, then won in front of more than 20,000 fans against Michigan last week.
Maryland started the day’s scoring when junior attacker Matt Rambo recorded his first of two goals to give the Terrapins the early lead.
OSU responded when senior midfielder Jarret Hassfeld scored his first of two goals in the game and first of the season to even up the score.
After a second goal by Maryland, OSU went on a 4-1 run, capped by a goal from sophomore midfielder Trevor Hodgins to take a 5-3 lead early in the second quarter.
Maryland flipped the switch, though, and rattled off seven straight goals to take a 10-5 lead in the third quarter. Senior midfielder Bryan Cole and junior midfielder Colin Heacock scored two goals apiece during the run. The second goal was Heacock’s 30th on the season, a team-high for Maryland.
OSU went on a 3-0 run to cut the lead to 10-8, the third being Brown’s third goal of the game with 9:14 left in the fourth quarter. However, senior goalie Kyle Bernlohr and the Maryland defense clamped down in the time remaining, sealing in the Maryland win.
Bernlohr had six saves on the day, while OSU redshirt junior goalie Tom Carey had eight.
The Buckeyes won 11 of 19 faceoffs in the game, but nine OSU turnovers led to a time-of-possession advantage for the Terrapins.
The loss brings the Scarlet and Gray’s record to 1-3 in the Big Ten going into their final game of the season against Rutgers.
Penn State also has a 1-3 record but holds the tiebreaker over the Buckeyes because of the Nittany Lions’ head-to-head win in April.
With only one spot left up for grabs in the Big Ten tournament, OSU will need a win against Rutgers and Penn State to lose against Michigan on Saturday.
The game against Rutgers is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. on Saturday in Columbus.
