Ohio State men’s lacrosse team huddles after suffering an 8-7 loss to Maryland in College Park, MD on Saturday. Credit: Courtesy of Ohio State Athletics
The trend of Ohio State falling to quality teams continued against a top-10 opponent in Maryland Saturday.
The Buckeyes (6-6, 1-2 Big Ten) lost to the No. 9 Maryland Terrapins (7-3, 2-1 Big Ten) 8-7 at SECU Stadium in College Park, Maryland.
Ohio State has now lost to four of its last six opponents, with its last win coming against a fellow Big Ten opponent in No.19 Rutgers.
Not even five minutes into the game, Maryland graduate attacker/midfielder Ryan Siracusa scored a goal off an assist from senior attacker Eric Malever. Ohio State was able to respond quickly with a goal of its own coming from junior midfielder Ari Allen, his fifth on the season.
Later into the first, Buckeye junior attacker Jack McKenna took the lead for Ohio State with a goal coming at the 3:45 mark, but the Terrapins responded within a minute with a score from junior attacker and midfielder Eric Spanos, tying the game at two apiece at the end of the first.
The start of the second quarter saw Ohio State take the lead again after an offside penalty against Maryland sophomore attacker Braden Erksa led to a score from junior attacker Ed Shean, making it his 13th of the season.
Despite much of the second quarter lacking scores, Erksa redeemed himself with a score coming at the 3:45 mark in the quarter to knot the game back up at three apiece.
The Terrapins came out of halftime with two quick scores from long stick midfielder Jack McDonald and Spanos, giving Maryland the first two-score lead of the game.
Maryland continued to build on its fast start later on in the third quarter with a goal from graduate student long stick midfielder Nick Alviti, giving the Terrapins a three-score lead over the Buckeyes with four minutes remaining in the quarter.
Unfortunately for the Buckeyes, ball control in the third quarter was their struggle as they tallied up a game-high six turnovers. This allowed the Terrapins to create opportunities with six shots on goal, tying the highest total for either squad.
The Buckeyes were able to clear up those turnovers in the fourth and limit the Terrapins’ awakening offense, allowing Ohio State to eventually tie it up at six apiece with six minutes left in the game.
Maryland’s offense stymied Ohio State’s defense after the game was tied, scoring two back-to-back goals within a minute of each other and ultimately putting the game out of reach for the Buckeyes.
Ohio State sophomore attacker Blake Eiland attempted to rally with a late goal within two minutes of the end of the game, but it was too late.
The Ohio State Buckeyes are set to take on the No. 10 Johns Hopkins Blue Jays on Sunday at the Ohio State Lacrosse Stadium. The game will be broadcast on Big Ten Plus.
