Fourth-year midfielder Connor Cmiel looks to pass the ball during Ohio State’s 8-5 win over North Carolina Feb. 19, 2023. Credit: Caleb Blake | Photo Editor
The Ohio State men’s lacrosse team finished last season underwhelmingly, with a 5-9 record, including seven losses on the road.
On top of this, its Big Ten opponents proved to be no small task. The Buckeyes finished with a 1-5 record in the conference, with two back-to-back losses against Michigan, one in the regular season and one in the Big Ten quarterfinals.
In his 16th season with Ohio State, head coach Nick Myers has big expectations for the upcoming season.
“Expectations right now [are] to get better every day and be better than we were yesterday,” Myers said. “[We] want to compete for a Big Ten championship and national title.”
The Buckeyes are set for this season to have one of the tougher schedules in the NCAA, facing out-of-conference opponents such as No. 3 Virginia in February and No. 1 Notre Dame in March.
Ohio State will also be facing tough in-conference opponents, such as No. 6 Penn State and No.16 Rutgers in March, and No. 4 Johns Hopkins, No. 7 Maryland and No. 9 Michigan in April.
Three of the five top scorers for the Buckeyes, sophomore and junior attackers, respectively, Ed Shean and Matt Caputo along with sophomore midfielder Dillon Magee, are all returning to the team this year. Senior midfielders Connor Cmiel, Trent DiCicco and graduate defenseman Jacob Snyder were all selected captains for the Buckeyes this year.
Cmiel said the team wasn’t as tight-knit on the offensive side of the ball last year, but the culture of the team has come together.
“We have a great senior class of leaders that’s really taken a step this year,” Cmiel said. “But there’s been a lot of juniors and sophomores that have stepped into bigger roles. I think our culture is very strong.”
The Buckeyes will have a tougher schedule this upcoming season, playing five teams that are ranked in the top-10 NCAA standings and playing against eight NCAA tournament teams cumulatively.
The Buckeyes are opening up the season with three consecutive home games, playing against the No. 13 Utah Utes, No. 54 Cleveland State Vikings and the No. 34 Bellarmine Knights.
The team also has 14 freshmen on the roster. Myers said there will be an adjustment period but also believes that the new roster additions will have an immediate impact on the team’s success very early on in the season.
“There are some guys that you’re gonna see out there impact us right away,” Myers said. “But I do think it will be an acclimation process.”
Myers also said the team is excited for the season to start against a nationally ranked team in Utah Feb. 3.
Utah ended the 2023 season with a 12-5 record and remained undefeated in the Big Ten, finishing the season 9-0 in the conference. This matchup marks the first time in Ohio State history that the Buckeyes will be going up against the Utes in a men’s lacrosse match.
Cmiel said the Buckeyes are playing as an underdog going into their first regular season matchup.
“We’re kind of the underdog that may make some noise and surprise some people,” Cmiel said. “It’s a great start for us to play a quality team in Utah in week one.”
The Buckeyes play a scrimmage game Saturday against the Lafayette Leopards at the Ohio State Lacrosse Stadium at noon.
