Ohio State then-freshman midfielder Liza Hernandez looks to score against Vermont. Credit: Courtesy of Walt Middleton – OSU Athletics
New Ohio State women’s lacrosse head coach Amy Bokker captured her first win in her first game at the program’s helm Friday.
The Buckeyes (1-0) topped Duquesne (0-1) 11-9 at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center on the back of three goals by freshman attackman Ashley Turner and a pair from senior midfielder Liza Hernandez.
Tied 4-4 in the final minute of the first half, Hernandez gave the Buckeyes their first lead of the game with the team’s third straight goal after it went down 3-0 early.
The 5-4 Buckeye lead was one it would not relinquish, as Ohio State went on a 4-2 run thereafter and staved off a late comeback from Duquesne.
Duquesne senior midfielders Kirsten Barnes and Rilee Bradshaw and junior attackman Michaela Connolly scored the game’s first three goals before Ohio State freshman attackman Nicole Ferrara got the Buckeyes on the board. The goal was assisted by sophomore midfielder Clare Johnston.
The Buckeye comeback continued as Ohio State junior midfielder Ali Beekhuizen, Turner, and Ohio State junior attackman Sophie Baez all contributed goals, tying the Dukes up 4-4.
“The energy was amazing, once we got one goal — that was a three person pass — it was amazing. It was hype,” Turner said.
Ohio State opened the second half by scoring three goals in less than four minutes, with sophomore midfielder Chloe Johnson expanding the Buckeyes’ lead to 8-4.
“We really focused on our scout. We had a hard time in the beginning knowing that what we learned before was going to happen to us, and it did happen to us,” Turner said. “In the second half we really turned it on and fixed our mistakes.”
Turner, Hernandez, and Ohio State sophomore midfielder Maura McGregor all piled on goals, bringing the Buckeyes’ lead to its largest margin at 11-6.
“I think the ride was awesome, we put a lot of effort and pride into what we do trying to get the ball back after a shot,” Bokker said.
Dusquene scored the final three goals late in the game to close the gap. Two came from Bradshaw in the final five minutes and Barnes scored her third of the night with 10:44 to play.
“Our theme is to grow, and we need to keep getting better. Quite frankly I don’t think we outplayed Duquesne tonight,” Bokker said. “I think we outlasted them and that’s attributed to how hard and competitive we’ve been working at practice.”
Ohio State senior goalie Jill Rizzo put a final stop to the Dukes’ comeback efforts with a last-minute save. She finished with 12 saves.
Ohio State continues its season at home against Robert Morris at 1 p.m. Sunday.
