The Ohio State men’s lacrosse team celebrates after a goal during their 13-10 loss to Notre Dame at the Ohio State Lacrosse Stadium Saturday. Credit: Caleb Blake | Photo Editor
Home field didn’t grant the Buckeyes an advantage this time around.
Ohio State lost its first home game of the season as it fell 13-10 to the No.3 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (4-1, 0-0 ACC) Saturday at Ohio State Lacrosse Stadium.
“I’d be frustrated to get your third loss in a row regardless of where these guys stand in the rankings,” head coach Nick Myers said.
Despite the Buckeyes (4-3, 0-0 Big Ten) winning three out of their last five matchups, they hold a 5-16 record against the Fighting Irish all-time.
This time the results rendered in the losing column.
The Fighting Irish jumped out to an early lead with a score coming from junior midfielder Will Angrick four minutes into the game.
Notre Dame continued its scoring with two goals from junior attacker Chris Kavanagh, allowing the Fighting Irish to control the game from the opening play.
Ohio State struggled to gain any traction in the first quarter, putting up only four shots on goal as opposed to Notre Dame’s six and failing to convert on any of its shot attempts. Fighting Irish goalie Liam Entenmann didn’t allow a single point from the Buckeyes in the quarter.
Ohio State sophomore midfielder Blake Eiland put up the first score for the Buckeyes at the 12:39 mark in the second quarter, making the score 3-1. Not even two minutes later, the Buckeyes scored again, this one coming from junior midfielder Ari Allen off an assist from junior attacker Ed Shean.
Nonetheless, penalties and turnovers began to plague Ohio State, with senior midfielder Greg Langermeier committing an illegal helmet contact penalty, setting Notre Dame up for another score from graduate attacker Pat Kavanagh with Chris Kavanagh on the assist.
The Buckeyes’ leading scorer on the season, Gannon Matthews, was able to find the back of the net with 5:35 remaining in the second off of a turnover committed by graduate defenseman Chris Conlin.
The score at halftime was 6-3, Notre Dame.
“We’ve got to stay out of the box,” Cmiel said. “I think if we just clean up a few areas, we’re right there.”
Ohio State opened the third quarter with two goals from sophomore attacker Matt Caputo, allowing the Buckeyes to control the momentum of the game by winning more faceoffs, in turn creating more opportunities for goals.
Notre Dame responded with a score coming from graduate student Reilly Gray at the 10:56 mark, but Ohio State found ways to keep scoring, allowing them to take momentum back from the Fighting Irish.
Eiland and junior midfielder Alex Marinier contributed to the Buckeyes’ strong third quarter with two additional goals accompanied by a Fighting Irish score coming from freshman midfielder Jordan Faison.
However, the penalty bug continued to bite Ohio State in the fourth, with sophomore defenseman Cullen Brown committing a slashing penalty, creating an extra-man opportunity for Notre Dame.
The Fighting Irish were able to capitalize on the Brown penalty, scoring two consecutive goals and amassing a five-point lead on the Buckeyes, the largest lead of the day for either team.
Junior attacker Jack McKenna and Blake Eiland were able to push in two goals within a minute and a half of each other, attempting to mount a comeback with six minutes remaining in the game.
Nonetheless, another Ohio State penalty from senior midfielder Connor Cmiel gave Notre Dame a man-up opportunity, allowing Chris Kavanagh to score another goal with three and a half minutes remaining in the game.
Caputo was able to score one last time off an assist from Shean with just over a minute remaining in the game, but it was too little too late.
The Buckeyes lost their first home game of the season.
“Sometimes when you have a tough loss, you get right back on it,” head coach Nick Myers said. “We’ll get a chance to get back into the locker room, get our rest, and then be ready to go Tuesday night.”
Ohio State will have the chance to regain its home field winning streak as it plays against the Detroit Mercy Titans on Tuesday at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcasted on Big Ten Plus.
