Ohio State women’s lacrosse lost to Michigan, 11-5, Thursday night at Michigan’s Lacrosse Stadium in Ann Arbor. Credit: Courtesy of Ohio State Athletics

In the first Big Ten women’s lacrosse game of the season, The Team Up North came out on top.

The Ohio State women’s lacrosse team (5-2, 0-1 Big Ten)  fell to the Michigan Wolverines (7-0, 1-0 Big Ten) 11-5 in a gritty matchup at the U-M Lacrosse Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan on Thursday.

Tensions were high at the beginning of the game, with the matchup between the two infamous rivals being the Big Ten women’s lacrosse season opener, along with both teams having players that were selected as Big Ten Players to Watch at the beginning of the season.

Both teams came out with intensity and aggression in the first quarter, with senior captain and midfielder Emily Magalotti scoring the first goal of the game. The goal was then answered by Michigan’s junior attacker Jill Smith, who is currently leading the Wolverines in goals this season. 

Smith and Magalotti were both selected as Big Ten players to watch this season.

Goals from Smith, Michigan sophomore attacker Calli Norris and one from sophomore attacker Zoe Coleman for the Buckeyes left the score at 4-2 at the end of the first quarter. 

Senior captain and goalie Regan Alexander had four saves for the Buckeyes, while junior goalie and USA Lacrosse Magazine Player of the Week Erin O’Grady had one save.

Both teams kept up the intensity defensively in the second quarter, with one goal scored for each team. Junior midfielder Annie Hargraves scored for the Buckeyes and junior attacker Kaylee Dyer scored for the Wolverines, beginning her 5-goal night as the second half ended with a 5-3 score. 

Alexander had three saves and O’Grady had two.

Similarly to the first half, the Buckeyes continued to struggle to win draw controls in the second. The consistent possessions for the Wolverines led to four Michigan goals in the third quarter  —  three from Dyer and one from Norris — making the score 9-3 at the end of the third quarter. 

Ohio State was able to somewhat reset themselves in the last quarter, winning two draw controls and scoring two goals, one from Hargraves and one from Coleman. 

However, this wasn’t enough to close the gap, especially after another goal from Dyer and a goal from senior midfielder Ava Class in the fourth quarter, leaving the score 11-5 at the end of the game. 

O’Grady had two saves in the last quarter, while Alexander had another three saves, making this her third game in a row where she notched double-digit saves.

The Buckeyes will take on Marquette Tuesday at 1 p.m. at the Ohio State Lacrosse Stadium. The game is available to stream on Big Ten Plus.