Ohio State junior midfielder Connor Mitchell (24) makes a pass during the second quarter of the Buckeyes’ game against Johns Hopkins April 9 at Ohio Stadium. Ohio State won 12-10. Credit: Casey Smith | Assistant Lantern TV Sports Producer
The No. 13 Ohio State men’s lacrosse team will host its final regular season game Sunday at 7 p.m. at Ohio Stadium against rival Michigan.
No. 13 Ohio State (8-4, 2-2 Big Ten) is coming off a loss to No. 1 Maryland 19-12 Saturday. Michigan (7-6, 0-4 Big Ten) has struggled this season, after a hot start in nonconference play, losing its last six games.
“We’ve marked this game all year on our calendar and hopefully it brings the best out of us,” head coach Nick Myers said.
Sunday also marks senior day for the Buckeyes, an emotional day for Myers.
“They’ve had an impact on me, my family and most importantly Buckeye lacrosse and their brothers,” Myers said. “The last two years have been pretty off the script for what you expect in your college experience and brings out the best in people in moments like that, especially these seniors that we have.”
Senior attackman Jack Myers leads the Buckeyes offense in assists as he and senior attackman Colby Smith have been the accelerators offensively. The Buckeyes’ scoring offense is No. 17 in the nation with 14.17 goals per game.
Additionally, Jack Myers is fourth in the nation in assists per game at 2.92 assists. Smith is No. 30 in the country with 2.83 goals per game.
Senior faceoff specialist Justin Inacio continues a historic season as he is 10th in the country with a .597 faceoff win percentage.
On the other side for the Wolverines, the faceoff has been their strongest area this season, thanks to second year faceoff specialist Justin Wietfeldt, who ranks fourth in the nation with a .633 win percentage.
Michigan has a dynamic scoring offense that ranks No. 12 in the nation with 14.54 goals per game. The offense is led by junior attackman Josh Zawada, who is No. 28 in the nation with 2.92 goals per game and No. 14 in assists per game at 2.31.
Michigan has done well defensively, ranking No. 20 in the nation with 10.54 goals per game behind sophomore goalkeeper Shane Carr with 159 saves on the season.
“They’ve got one of the best goalies in the conference. Faceoff-wise they’re a top-five unit in the country so really strong there,” Nick Myers said. “When you look at those two areas, that’s a big part of why they’re in every game. Defensively, very organized and offensively it is very balanced and has three good attackmen. They’re well coached.”
These two programs faced each other in the Big Ten quarterfinal last season in Ohio Stadium and Michigan pulled off a 15-11 upset to advance. The Wolverines were led by an offensive surge from current sophomore attackman Michael Boehm, who had three goals and one assist.
This may not be the last time these two teams face each other in the 2022 season. The Big Ten Tournament begins April 30 and the Buckeyes and Wolverines have the potential to meet again in the quarterfinal.
The Buckeyes are sitting tied in third place with Johns Hopkins, however Ohio State has the tiebreaker advantage in head-to-head matchups over the Blue Jays and would clinch the spot with a win over the Wolverines. Michigan is last in the conference standings, putting them in the No. 6 seed.
A win for Michigan Sunday would tie its season-high in total wins in program history and earn it bragging rights over its rival in addition to building momentum heading into the Big Ten Tournament as both teams look for an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament.
Ohio State has wins over No. 4 North Carolina and No. 10 Notre Dame while dropping contests to No. 9 Cornell, No. 6 Rutgers and No. 1 Maryland.
Senior attackman Jack Myers said the Buckeyes have prepared for their rivalry matchup.
“Our focus is on this week and the game against the team up north,” Jack Myers said. “We will be ready to go.”
Michigan and Ohio State square off under the lights at Ohio Stadium Sunday at 7 p.m. and will be televised on Big Ten Network.
