Third-year attacker Gannon Matthews (24) cradles the ball in the offensive zone against Cleveland State. Ohio State won 13-6 at Ohio State Lacrosse Stadium Saturday. Credit: Aiden Ridgway | Lantern Photographer
In his first career start, freshman goalie Caleb Fyock helped seal a second Buckeye victory.
The Ohio State men’s lacrosse team (2-0, 0-0 Big Ten) beat the Cleveland State Vikings (1-1, 0-0 NEC) 13-6 Saturday at Ohio State Lacrosse Stadium.
This matchup marks the sixth time the two teams have played each other, with the Buckeyes winning all previous matchups. Ohio State’s most recent win against the Vikings was 12-9 in Columbus on Feb. 11, 2023.
Filling in for the injured junior Henry Blake, Fyock was ready for the spotlight.
”The coaches prepared me very well this week,” Fyock said. “I came into this game with a different mentality.”
Cleveland State jumped out to a fast lead, scoring consecutive goals and establishing a 3-0 lead while controlling possession of the ball, all within the first seven minutes of the game.
Fyock struggled initially, letting the Vikings’ first three shots all find the back of the net.
However, Ohio State began to find its way seven minutes into the first quarter with a goal from junior attacker Jack McKenna, which paved the way for the Buckeyes to get themselves back in the game.
Junior attacker Ben Mayer kicked off the attack for the Buckeyes in the first, putting in an unassisted goal and making the score of the game 3-2 Vikings.
Fyock got his first save of his career at the 3:32 mark and allowed the Buckeyes to continue to take control of the contest.
Ohio State scored five consecutive goals, with three of them coming in the final two minutes of the quarter and two of them coming in the last minute of the quarter.
“That first one under the belt [for Caleb Fyock] with 13 goals on 54 shots, we’re proud of him,” head coach Nick Myers said. “Caleb was a guy that we were really excited about in the recruiting process.”
Big Ten Player of the Week Gannon Matthews kicked off the scoring for Ohio State in the second half, putting in a goal within the first 10 seconds.
Cleveland State redshirt sophomore Alex Van Voorhis scored a goal for the Vikings shortly after, attempting to cut into the Buckeyes’ lead.
However, the momentum the Buckeyes had at the end of the second quarter carried through to the third, with Ohio State’s graduate attacker Kurt Bruun scoring off an assist from graduate midfielder Eli Fisher, making the score 10-5.
Ohio State continued to score throughout the remainder of the third quarter, putting up three more, with Fyock only allowing one goal from the Vikings.
The final quarter of the game featured another Ohio State goal, this one coming from graduate midfielder Kyle Lewis.
Fyock continued to establish himself at the goalie position, racking up a total of 13 saves on the day after being taken out of the game at the 5:39 mark in the fourth quarter.
Ohio State sophomore midfielder Sam Burns put in the final goal for the Buckeyes at the 2:32 mark in the final period, and Cleveland State’s freshman attacker Wyatt Robertson put in one last goal for the Vikings.
“The defense put me on their back, teaching me the ins and outs of everything,” Fyock said. “Thankfully, I have some of the best teammates in the world.”
The Buckeyes will take on the Bellarmine Knights Tuesday at Ohio State Lacrosse Stadium. The match will be streamed on Big Ten Plus.
