Ohio State senior midfielder Connor Mitchell (24) celebrates a long goal before halftime of Ohio State’s scrimmage with Lafayette Jan. 21. Credit: Zachary Rilley | Photo Editor
After winning its season opener in Columbus Feb. 4 15-7 against Air Force, the Ohio State men’s lacrosse team will take on in-state foe Cleveland State Saturday in Columbus.
Cleveland State (0-0) has yet to make its season debut, but the Buckeyes (1-0) have the depth to challenge the Vikings, who are coming into the game following a 3-7 overall record in 2022, which saw them lose their final five games.
Head coach Nick Myers said he feels apprehensive that there is no film on the Vikings, but the Buckeyes will be ready.
“They’ve got a young team; they got a lot of guys back. We’ve tried the best we can to prepare,” Myers said. “There’s always a little bit of an uneasy feeling as a coach when you don’t have a film to work off. In some ways, it forces you to back into yourself.”
Last season, the Buckeyes battled the Vikings at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center and won 17-9.
Myers said he recalled that matchup and noticed how hard Cleveland State played.
“It was a back-and-forth game for the better part of two quarters, two and a half quarters, into the third,” Myers said. “You look back at films from last year, you see games where they had success.”
Vikings sophomore midfielder Gannon Matthews is coming off a season in which he received the Atlantic Sun Conference Freshman of the Year award, the first conference award a Cleveland State player has ever earned. This is only Cleveland State’s second year in a conference.
In Cleveland State’s loss to the Buckeyes last season, Matthews scored two goals. On the season, Matthews totaled 34 points, scoring 19 goals and assisting 15.
Other goals against Ohio State last season came from returning starter and sophomore attacker Michael Care, senior midfielders Andrew Boniface and Ian McKissick, and junior attacker Gavin Held.
The Buckeyes’ goals were credited to 10 different players, showing depth. Last week against Air Force, the Buckeyes’ scoring was made up of goals from six different players, including multiple goals from four.
Led by fifth-year attacker Jack Myers, the Buckeye offense is shaping up to be Ohio State’s strongest unit.
Nick Myers said Cleveland State had a versatile offense last season leading into this year, which could present a challenge for a Buckeye defense that took a while to settle in.
“Offensively, they do a lot of different things and coach [Andy German] does a really nice job with them,” Nick Myers said.
Faceoffs is an area where Nick Myers hopes to have success Saturday. Against Air Force, the Buckeyes started graduate faceoff specialist Drew Blanchard, who had big shoes to fill following Justin Inacio’s graduation.
Last year Inacio went 20-22 in faceoffs versus Cleveland State, whereas the Vikings faceoff record was 2-28. Inacio is working as a graduate assistant coach for the Buckeyes and is helping mentor Blanchard and the faceoff room.
Blanchard is off to an impressive start on the season as he went 22-26 in faceoffs last week.
“I was really proud of Drew Blanchard,” Nick Myers said. “He really was probably as valuable as anybody on the team.”
Senior defenseman Jacob Snyder said keeping up the energy and competitive drive the Buckeyes had in the opener is something he enjoys about this team.
“Being able to maintain and keep up the passion for one another and the compete level has been awesome,” Snyder said.
The Buckeyes have a long road ahead of them. As the season continues Saturday, the Buckeyes look toward Cleveland State, beginning at noon on BTN+.
