Graduate midfielder Eli Fisher (6) cradles the ball during an 11-8 for Ohio State over Utah at Ohio State Lacrosse Stadium Feb. 3. Credit: Caleb Blake | Photo Editor
Playing That Team Up North with playoff implications on the line means more for the Ohio State men’s lacrosse team than anything.
The Ohio State Buckeyes (6-7, 1-3 Big Ten) are set to take on the Michigan Wolverines (6-6, 1-3 Big Ten) at Ohio State Lacrosse Stadium Saturday at 7 p.m.
For the first time this season, the Buckeyes have a losing record after falling 11-10 to No. 3 Johns Hopkins in their first overtime game of the season Sunday.
Graduate defenseman Jacob Snyder said the team understands the importance of its upcoming matchup, not only for the Buckeyes but the state of Ohio as a whole.
“It’s definitely the most important game on our schedule,” Snyder said. “With playoff implications on the line, it’s obviously a huge game for us.”
The Buckeyes currently sit at 1-3 in Big Ten play this year, with their lone win coming from the road against Rutgers on March 30. They defeated the Scarlet Knights 14-8 in Piscataway, New Jersey.
Ohio State has also played No. 5 Maryland and No. 10 Penn State, losing both of those matches by an average score of two. With the loss to Johns Hopkins on Sunday, the Buckeyes are tied with Michigan for last place in the Big Ten standings in conference play.
Michigan was able to beat Maryland on March 23, but fell to Johns Hopkins, Penn State and Rutgers in the following weeks, giving it a three-game losing streak entering the matchup against Ohio State. However, the Wolverines are ranked higher than the Buckeyes in the Big Ten standings with a record of 6-6; albeit, the same Big Ten record at 1-3.
Ohio State has not fared much better in recent weeks after a strong start to begin the season in February.
The Buckeyes are 1-3 since March 23, struggling against top-20 teams in the Big Ten, including Maryland, Penn State and Johns Hopkins. Nonetheless, Ohio State did not lose to any one of those teams by more than 3 points, whereas Michigan lost to Penn State and Johns Hopkins by scores of six and four, respectively.
Ohio State junior attacker Ed Shean said the records don’t matter when it comes to playing against your rival foe.
“Playing in this rivalry, each team’s past record gets wiped,” Shean said. “This game is a kind of thing you can hang your hat on for your season.”
The Ohio State men’s lacrosse team first played Michigan in 2012 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, winning the game 12-9.
Since then, the Buckeyes have gone 10-4 against the Wolverines, with six of those wins coming in Columbus. However, in the last five contests between the two squads, Michigan has taken three, including last year.
The last time the Buckeyes got a win in the rivalry was on April 30, 2022, when they beat the Wolverines 16-10 at Ohio Stadium in the Big Ten Conference quarterfinals.
The 2024 Big Ten Men’s Lacrosse Tournament is set to be held at Ohio State Lacrosse Stadium this year for the first time since 2017. The Big Ten semifinals and championship game are set to take place in Columbus.
Snyder said Ohio State hosting the tournament this season heightens the matchup between the Wolverines even more.
“It’ll be huge for us [to get a win] because we would get home-field advantage in the first round of the Big Ten tournament,” Snyder said.
The game will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network at 7 p.m.
