Ohio State sophomore midfielder Justin Inacio (30) faces off against Rutgers at Ohio Stadium on Mar. 31. Ohio State lost 6-14. Credit: Willow Mollenkopf | For The Lantern
The No. 10 Ohio State men’s lacrosse team’s (8-4, 1-4 Big Ten) dreams of a Big Ten tournament and NCAA tournament bid were likely killed by arch-rivals Michigan (4-9, 1-4 Big Ten), when the Buckeyes lost to the Wolverines 13-10 on Friday.
Ohio State junior attack and leading goal scorer Tre LeClaire, who has scored the 10th-most goals in the country this season, was out for the game due to an injury sustained in practice during the week.
The Wolverines controlled the game throughout, having two players with hat tricks in senior midfield Brent Noseworthy and freshman attack Bryce Clay. Noseworthy scored his 100th goal of his career in the second quarter of his final collegiate game.r; The Buckeyes were in the game thanks to sophomore attack Jackson Reid, who scored five goals and sophomore midfield Justin Inacio, who won 22-of-24 faceoffs.
Michigan’s first-half dominance was too much for the resurgence Buckeyes, going up four goals at the half with a lead of 8-4. The Buckeyes made a comeback early in the third quarter, but Michigan weathered the storm to get their first win ever against their rivals.
The Buckeyes were inconsistent with shooting again, connecting on 10 of 40 attempts while Michigan made 13-of-28 on the day.
The win breaks an eight-game losing streak for the Wolverines..
Ohio State will have to wait and see if it earns an at-large bid for the NCAA tournament after its elimination from the Big Ten tournament.
