The Ohio State Buckeyes circle up before the Ohio State-Lafayette exhibition game Jan. 22. Ohio State won 17-12. Credit: Zachary Rilley | For the Lantern
In a scrimmage shortened by injury, Ohio State men’s lacrosse prevailed 11-9 over Marquette Saturday.
A game-ending injury closed the final scrimmage for Ohio State men’s lacrosse early as Maryland redshirt freshman defenseman Ryan Kilcoyne dove in front of senior midfielder Brandon Fisher’s shot during transition. Kilcoyne immediately went down and didn’t move.
Trainers and medical staff rushed to Kilcoyne and an ambulance was called in to transport him to the Wexner Medical Center for further evaluation. A Marquette trainer said Kilcoyne was moving his extremities and was going to the hospital as a precaution.
Head coach Nick Myers and Marquette head coach Andrew Stimmel mutually decided to call the game early.
“It just didn’t feel right. [It] felt like that was the right decision here for our men and for our families,” Myers said. “We will keep that young man and his mom in our thoughts and prayers. We hope he makes a full recovery and brings some perspective to just how thankful we are to play this game that we love and hopeful he is safe.”
The Buckeyes won 11-9 as they prepare for their first regular season game next Saturday.
The tide turned for Ohio State as it trailed6-1, but netted eight goals to complete the comeback.
“We were a little bit out of sync early,” Myers said. “The ability to simplify things offensively helped and a lot of those guys are hungry to prove themselves. A lot of starters came out in that third quarter and we’re really excited for guys to put some quality things on film.”
Scott White, senior attackman, led the way with three goals as he scored each in the third quarter.
Senior goalie Caton Johnson started off but was taken out in the second half for senior goalie Skylar Wahlund, who only allowed three goals.
“I think we got a position where two guys that are continuing to do a nice job competing with each other and better throughout the fall and spring,” Myers said. “I think we found that we have two guys that we can certainly count on.”
The first half was all the Golden Eagles, who had six of their goals come in the first quarter alone.
Marquette’s sophomore attackman Russell Melendez led the way with three first half goals. His fellow starting attackmen redshirt sophomore Devon Cowan and freshman Bobby O’Grady each had goals in the first quarter.
A sensational play was made by redshirt defenseman Zach Granger, who was clearing the ball and noticed the Ohio State goal was wide open. He launched the ball 60 yards to score at the 3:37 mark of the first quarter.
Ohio State had a quiet first half offensively. Turnovers hurt the Buckeyes, yet senior midfielder Justin Inacio won a majority of faceoffs.
The Buckeyes begin the regular season Feb. 5 against Detroit at noon.
