Ohio State junior midfielder Caly O’Brien (14) attempts to dodge across midfield during the Ohio State-Robert Morris game Feb.12. Ohio State won 17-5. Credit: Zachary Rilley | For the Lantern
Ohio State women’s lacrosse will take on the Duquesne Dukes at Rooney Field in Pittsburgh at 5 p.m. Wednesday after a tough loss at home to No. 21 James Madison.
The Buckeyes (3-3) are coming off a three-game losing streak and look to turn things around and get back to a winning record.
This season, the Buckeyes have been dominant in their draw controls, thanks to senior midfielder Chloë Johnson. In draw controls, Johnson currently sits at sixth in program history and No. 10 in the country at 7.67 per game.
The Dukes (2-3) are coming off back-to-back blowout losses to Penn State and Bucknell, losing by at least nine goals in each.
Duquesne freshman attack Sam King leads the Dukes offensively, serving as their leading goal scorer with 11 goals. Senior attack Tina St. Clair also has provided the Dukes with 11 scores.
The Dukes have rotated their goaltenders as sophomore Rachel O’Toole and redshirt sophomore Mady Piersielak have similar playing time this season, with a save percentage difference of only .002 between the keepers.
Piersielak is 2-0 on the season while allowing 10.37 goals per game, while O’Toole is 0-3 and gives up 15.98 goals per game.
Ohio State is led by a trio of double-digit goal scorers as attackers sophomore Jamie Lasda and junior Nicole Ferrara have both produced a team-high 11 goals on the season. Graduate midfielder Lindsay Epstein has netted 10 goals through Ohio State’s first six games.
As Ohio State looks to get back into the win column for the first time since Feb. 20, Lasda said the Buckeyes have grown closer as a team during this adverse stretch.
“I think a big component of our game right now that we’ve been working on is accountability and lifting each other up,” Lasda said. “So if they get the first shot or the first goal, I’m really confident in our ability to turn that around as soon as we can.”
The game will be streamed on ESPN+.
