Ohio State senior attackers Jack Myers (2) and Mitchell Pehlke (25) strategize before an extra man opportunity in the No. 6 Ohio State (3-0)-No. 19 North Carolina (2-1) game Feb. 19. Ohio State won 8-5. Credit: Zachary Rilley | Photo Editor
The No. 9 Buckeyes fought their way back from a seven-score, third quarter deficit, but it was not enough to defeat No. 3 Cornell and its hat-trick trio.
Ohio State (3-2) was downed 16-13 for the first time in Ohio State Lacrosse Stadium by the Big Red (4-0), who fought hard to hold onto their lead when a late Buckeye rally came knocking.
Big Red junior attack CJ Kirst kicked off Saturday’s scoring with his 17th goal of the season, additionally notching his sixth hat trick on the year early in the fourth quarter.
Kirst’s goal was the beginning of a Cornell-dominated first half.
“They played cleaner than we did,” head coach Nick Myers said. “We certainly had moments. We had opportunities.”
In his season-debut, senior attack Colby Smith scored his first goal of the year off an assist by senior attack Jack Myers early in the first quarter. Smith was second on the team in scoring last season with 41 goals and was sixth in the Big Ten in total goals scored.
As the first quarter wound down, a trio of Big Red players scored goals in under two minutes. The goals belonged to senior attack Brian Piatelli and junior midfielders Hugh Kelleher and Andrew Dalton.
Cornell outscored the Buckeyes 5-1 in the second quarter. Ohio State’s lone goal came from freshman midfielder Blake Eiland, marking his first of the season.
The Buckeyes took 21 shots going into halftime and Cornell’s senior goalkeeper Chayse Ierlan had five saves. He came into the matchup 10th in the nation with a 58.5 save percentage.
Sophomore attack Ed Shean attempted to get his team back on track in the third quarter by finding the goal at the 13:06 mark and again at 9:52. Shean is first in the nation with a 71.4 shot percentage.
“My team was putting me in good spots to finish the ball,” Shean said. “It’s always a team effort moving the ball on offense.”
Cornell scored three goals of its own in the third quarter just before the seven-minute mark. Ohio State closed out the quarter with a 3-0 run, cutting the seven-point deficit down to four.
Ohio State began rallying for the comeback down 12-8 heading into the final quarter.
“I felt like the guys stayed with it. We didn’t vary from the game plan,” Nick Myers said. “That was certainly a big part of getting the ball rolling.”
Cornell’s Piatelli had the first goal of the fourth quarter with 13:40 left to play, which made him the second Big Red player to complete a hat trick. His goal was followed by Kirst’s fourth of the game and 20th of the season.
Not long after Kirst scored, freshman midfielder Dillon Magee tacked onto the board for the Buckeyes, leading their fourth quarter push.
“The offense was moving the ball well, sharing the ball and I thought we were doing well at pushing the ball in transition,” Shean said.
Cornell senior attack Billy Coyle responded with a ball to the back of the net, completing his second hat trick of the season. Coyle is the Big Red’s second-leading scorer behind Kirst.
With 10 minutes to go, Shean also found the net for a third time, finding momentum for the Buckeyes once again. His hat trick was his second of the season.
“We were sharing the ball,” Nick Myers said. “I thought guys did a nice job of getting in good spots, playing with good speed and urgency.”
Freshman attack Matt Caputo followed Shean’s momentum and put two scores on the board for the first and second goals of his Buckeye career. Nearly eight minutes of a defensive battle went by until Caputo’s second goal at the 46 second mark, and Ohio State was still down by four.
“We felt we had a chance to make a run, close the gap, in the third, but that’s the way it goes,” Nick Myers said.
Shean scored the last goal of the game, assisted by Jack Myers, with 30 seconds left to play, not leaving enough time for the Buckeyes to complete a comeback.
“I love the way the guys fought, from our goalie all the way through our attack,” Nick Myers said. “I’m looking forward to get back on the practice field and going after our next one.”
The Buckeyes will take on their third consecutive top-3 opponent next week against No. 2 Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, at 1 p.m. The game will be broadcasted on ACCNetwork.
