Ohio State then-sophomore attackman Jackson Reid (29) tries to shake the Rutgers defense during their match at Ohio Stadium on Mar. 31, 2019. Ohio State lost 6-14. Credit: Willow Mollenkopf | Lantern File Photo
More than 11 months since their last contest, the Buckeyes will have to hit the ground running with a return to the field against a top-25 opponent.
Faced with a surprise season cancellation in 2020, the No. 10 Ohio State men’s lacrosse team saw their promising season cut short early last year. The Buckeyes begin their season in Baltimore against No. 20 Johns Hopkins only to return to Columbus a week later for another top-20 matchup against No. 17 Rutgers.
Both Hopkins and Rutgers are returning major veteran talent to compliment their young shooters.
Due to the ongoing pandemic, the Big Ten has decided to only allow teams to play conference games. Because of this Ohio State begins the first half of the season playing five Big Ten teams, four of which are ranked within the top 25.
“It’s pretty clear coming in how important every game is really, especially in this season, you’re only limited to so many,” graduate defenseman Jeff Henrick said.
Finishing 5-2 a season ago, Ohio State looks to build on the experience they gained and return to the NCAA tournament after a three-year hiatus.
Anchored by an experienced upperclassmen roster, Ohio State opens the season ranked No. 11. Returning graduate students, Henrick, attackman Tre Leclaire,, and midfielder Ryan Terefenko, give the Buckeyes a solid foundation to build on as well as offering unprecedented leadership on and off the field.
“We came up with the motto ‘one more’ for this year’s team. We came up with that, because we all want to be a team that’s really grateful for where we are right now but always hungry for that next opportunity.”
Leclaire returns for his final season with the Buckeyes. The British Columbia native is the second leading goal scorer in Ohio State history as well as a three-time All-American.
Joining Leclaire on an experienced attack line are, senior Jackson Reid and junior Jack Myers. Myers led the Buckeyes in assists in his past two years and looks to continue that trend.
“I think for us just keeping everything simple. Our motto for the offensive side, this season was ‘simple and fast,’” Leclaire said.
On the defensive end of the field, Ohio State also returns graduate defensemen Jeff Henrick. Henrick is a two-time captain and is the current leader in career caused turnovers with 30. Alongside him will be, Terefenko — a two-time captain and three-time All-American.
Graduate-transfer Alec Van de Bovenkamp, looks to step in at goalie for the Buckeyes after the previous Buckeye keeper, Josh Kirson, transferred to Johns Hopkins.
At faceoff, senior Justin Inacio looks to continue his dominance — boasting a career .632 faceoff percentage.
After its home meeting with Rutgers, Ohio State then travels to State College, Pennsylvania, to take on the No. 6 Penn State Nittany Lions. Penn State returns arguably the best shooter in lacrosse in graduate attackman Mac O’Keefe as well as a very solid defensive front led by fellow graduate student and goalie Colby Kneese.
The Buckeyes finish their first slate of games in Columbus taking on unranked Michigan and No. 5 Maryland. Jared Bernhardt, one of the top midfielders in the country, returns for the Terrapins. Alongside head coach John Tillman, the Terrapins are a disciplined and skilled team.
The Buckeyes begin their season against Johns Hopkins at 12 p.m. Saturday on ESPN3.
