Ohio State senior attackman Colby Smith (4) unloads a shot into the lower corner during the Ohio State-Cleveland State game Feb. 12. Ohio State won 17-9. Credit: Zachary Rilley | For the Lantern
The No. 11-ranked Buckeyes defeated the Nittany Lions 18-9 Friday at Ohio Stadium in a heavy offensive battle.
Senior attackmen Colby Smith had five goals, Jack Myers scored four and Jackson Reid had three goals and as many assists to help Ohio State defeat Penn State for the first time since 2015.
Ohio State came out attacking early, picking up two quick goals from senior attackman Scott White and Reid. Penn State responded quickly with two goals of its own from junior midfielder Mac Costin and redshirt freshman attackman Jeb Brenfleck.
Although the first quarter was a back-and-forth battle, the Buckeyes had control most of the first half. The Nittany Lions capitalized on three goals against the Buckeyes’ defense in the first quarter, but they didn’t pull closer than 4-3 for the remainder of the game.
Ohio State went on a 6-1 scoring run in the second quarter, led by a hot five-minute start from Myers, White and Smith, who combined for three scores in that span.
The Buckeyes pulled away after halftime and led by as much as 10 in the third quarter, spearheaded by two goals from Myers. After a Penn State goal at the 13:55 mark in the second quarter, the Lions didn’t score again until a goal from freshman attackman Will Peden late in the third. The Nittany Lions ended the third with back-to-back scores.
The fourth quarter was nearly evenly split with four scores from Ohio State, including back-to-back goals from senior attackman Jason Knox and three goals from Penn State.
Senior goalie Skylar Wahlund made 11 saves, boasting a save percentage of 55.
Head coach Nick Myers said he was impressed with how the Buckeyes played on both sides of the field, bringing in timely goals and forcing crucial turnovers.
“I think we made stops when we needed to,” Nick Myers said. “Keeping a good team like that under 10 is not easy. Offensively, we responded and did the simple things well.”
Jack Myers said nothing was different from past games, but he stuck to the game plan.
“We played Buckeye lacrosse and did the tough things,” Jack Myers said. “We had to have a great week of practice and it showed today. We had to look internally at things we were getting too careless with.”
Reid’s three-goal, three-assist performance added to the offensive success. Reid said he stuck with his teammates coming off the 17-8 loss to Rutgers Sunday.
“We were more focused,” Reid said. “Focusing on the little details, effort plays, hustle plays to fire us up and spark our offense and defense. We focused on the little things that we do best.”
Ohio State will face Johns Hopkins April 9 at noon in Ohio Stadium in a battle of top 15 teams.
