Ohio State redshirt freshman attackman Lukas Buckley penetrates the defense in the offensive zone against Massachusetts on Feb. 18 at Ohio Stadium. Credit: Jacob Myers | Assistant Sports Editor
The No. 6 Ohio State men’s lacrosse team avoided dropping another game after its Friday-night overtime loss against No. 19 Marquette by closing out the Midwest Lacrosse Classic against Detroit Mercy with an 8-7 win.
The Buckeyes (5-1) trailed 5-3 at the half, but came back in the third and fourth quarters, holding the Titans (2-4) to two goals the rest of the game while scoring five more goals.
Redshirt sophomore Lukas Buckley and junior Gale Thorpe led Ohio State in scoring, with each of the attacks posting two goals on the day. Sophomore attack Tre Leclaire had a notable 11 shots on the Titans, and turned one of them into a goal in the third period.
In the faceoff x, the Ohio State duo consisting of freshman midfielder Justin Inacio and sophomore midfielder Christian Feliziani won 14 of 18 total faceoffs, while critical saves from senior goalie Matthew Smidt ensured that Ohio State kept its hard-earned lead through the fourth quarter.
Detroit Mercy kept the Ohio State defense busy in the first half. Freshman Titans midfielder Brennan Kamish and senior attack Alec Gilhooly put Detroit up 3-0 in the first quarter.
Detroit’s momentum, however, was quelled in the second period after goals from Buckley, Thorpe and freshman midfielder Jackson Reid put Ohio State back in it before the whistle sounded for halftime.
Senior Ohio State defenseman Erik Evans stifled the Titans offense on their final opportunity, forcing a turnover and preventing the game from going to an extra period.
The Buckeyes are back home to welcome Towson to Columbus at 4 p.m. Saturday.
