Junior attacker Ed Shean looks to make a play around the crease during Ohio State’s 13-6 win over Cleveland State at Ohio State Lacrosse Stadium. Credit: Aiden Ridgway | Lantern Photographer
Ohio State is looking to kick off Big Ten play on the right foot.
The Buckeyes (5-4, 0-0 Big Ten) are set to take on the No. 5 Penn State Nittany Lions (6-1, 0-0) Sunday at the Ohio State Lacrosse Stadium.
The Buckeyes currently sit slightly over .500 with tight losses against top-10 teams in No. 2 Notre Dame and then-No. 5 Denver within the past 10 days. The Nittany Lions are 6-1 on the season, with their only loss coming from Colgate on Feb. 3.
“I think we’ve been very close in the past couple of games,” senior midfielder Connor Cmiel said. “It’s just playing complementary lacrosse with the offense and defense and just not making little mistakes.”
This game marks the first Big Ten matchup of the season for both teams.
The Buckeyes have a 5-13 all-time record against Penn State and have only won one matchup out of the previous five. The last time Ohio State beat the Nittany Lions was April 1, 2022, winning 18-9. Before the win in 2022, the Buckeyes had not beaten Penn State in seven years.
In previous seasons, Ohio State has struggled with in-conference play, going 4-6 in 2021, 3-2 in 2022 and 1-4 in 2023.
The Nittany Lions are currently on a six-game winning streak, with wins over top-15 teams in No. 8 Yale and No. 12 Cornell, largely due to the play of junior midfielder Matt Traynor. Traynor is averaging 3.43 goals per game so far on the year, putting him at sixth nationally as of Tuesday.
The Buckeyes are 1-4 in their last five with the only win coming against the Detroit Mercy Titans March 12 at home after starting the season 4-0.
A majority of Ohio State’s opponents so far in the season have been top-10 teams, giving it one of the tougher schedules in the country.
Ohio State head coach Nick Myers acknowledges the tough schedule but said he ultimately feels that the losses have allowed the Buckeyes to prepare for difficult in-conference opponents, including Penn State.
“Although we haven’t won, I think we’ve certainly shown that we can play with just about anybody in the country,” Myers said.
The majority of Ohio State losses this year have been within 5 points, with the only sizable defeat occurring against No. 3 Virginia where it lost 14-8.
Ohio State boasts a 4-2 record playing at home this season and has been able to maintain a winning record at Ohio State Lacrosse Stadium for the past two seasons.
On the other hand, Penn State is currently undefeated on the road, beating the Stony Brook Seawolves at Kenneth P. Lavalle Stadium in Stony Brook, New York, 14-10 and the Navy Midshipmen at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland, 13-3.
Ohio State graduate defenseman Jacob Snyder said with every game comes different obstacles, and the Buckeyes must focus on the one that is in front of them.
“I think every game is a different beast,” Snyder said. “We’re just going into this week knowing that if we focus on us and do what we do best, we’ll be in a great spot to succeed.”
The game will be broadcast at 2:30 p.m. on Big Ten Plus.
