Members of Ohio State’s defense gather in a huddle during warmups of the Ohio
State-Michigan game on March 14. Ohio State won 13-10. Credit: Gretchen Rudolph | For the
Lantern
After getting back to .500 against Johns Hopkins a week ago, the Buckeyes are gearing up for an opportunity to take down the nation’s top-ranked squad.
The No. 12 Ohio State men’s lacrosse team travels to College Park, Maryland, Saturday for a highly anticipated matchup against the No. 1 Terrapins.
Maryland (8-0) enters its second matchup against Ohio State (4-4) as the only unbeaten team left in Division I lacrosse.
In their first meeting this year, the Terrapins dominated the Buckeyes 16-8 behind four-goal performances from senior attackman Logan Wisnauskas and sophomore attackman Daniel Maltz.
Maryland boasts two of the best attackmen in the country in seniors Jared Bernhardt andWisnauskas. Both players have remained consistent offensive threats throughout the year with Bernhardt earning Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors five times, including last week.
Senior defenseman Nick Grill has been fantastic all season for the Terrapins. Though only standing 5-foot-8 and weighing 185 pounds, the Marquette transfer has been a key factor in Maryland’s success at the defensive end of the field.
Ohio State also has a good amount of talent on both sides of the ball.
Junior attackman Jack Myers is the team’s leading scorer and has shown the ability to score at will — notching 25 goals on the season.
Graduate attackman Tre Leclaire has also found plenty of success on the offensive end, scoring 19 goals through eight games.
Graduate defenseman Eric Wenz has been a key factor for the Buckeyes’ defense since stepping onto the field. The Hofstra transfer is a strong matchup against anyone he is faced with, towering over his opponents at 6-foot-5.
Graduate midfielder Ryan Terefenko is also one of the best defensive midfielders in the country as well as a threat to score offensively, finding the back of the net twice against Johns Hopkins Saturday.
In goal, Ohio State’s graduate goalie Alec Van de Bovenkamp had another fantastic win against Johns Hopkins. The Furman transfer holds a 3-2 record and .472 save percentage this season.
Maryland’s sophomore goalie Logan McNaney has also played spectacularly. The young goalie had a strong showing in their first meeting against the Buckeyes, surrendering only eight goals while saving 11 shots.
Senior faceoff man Justin Inacio struggled a week ago for the Buckeyes but was able to step up when needed. In their previous meeting against Maryland, Inacio won 19 of 27 faceoffs.
Sophomore faceoff man Luke Wierman has been taking the majority of the draws for Maryland. The sophomore won 15 of 25 a week ago, but will be faced with a much more experienced Inacio this week.
Ohio State will look to hand Maryland its first loss of the season Saturday at 5 p.m. at Capital One Field at Maryland Stadium. The game will be aired live on the Big Ten Network.
