Senior defender Erin O’Neil (21) cradles the ball during Ohio State’s 9-7 loss to Rutgers at Ohio State Lacrosse Stadium Thursday. Credit: Courtesy of Ohio State Athletics
The Buckeyes blew a 4-point halftime lead after the Scarlet Knights completed a fourth-quarter comeback, outscoring Ohio State 6-2 in the last 15 minutes.
The Ohio State women’s lacrosse team (7-8, 1-5 Big Ten) fell on senior day 13-11 against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (7-8, 1-5 Big Ten) Thursday at Ohio State Lacrosse Stadium, after Rutgers outscored the Buckeyes 9-4 in the second half.
The win secured Rutger’s first Big Ten win of the season, while the loss is the fourth in a row for the Buckeyes.
Senior captain and attacker Jamie Lasda, who scored two goals during the game and currently leads the Buckeyes in goals and draw controls, said the team improved in terms of possession but fell short of getting the ball in the net towards the end.
“Both sides of the field played really well tonight,” Lasda said. “Defense, especially Regan [Alexander], came up with incredible stops to give us chances. We outshot them, we outdid them on draws and we had possessions, which was a big change from the last couple of games. Unfortunately, we had some great looks, they just hit pipe or weren’t on cage.”
Both defenses were strong in the first quarter, with only one goal being scored by either team. Junior midfielder Annie Hargraves was the first Buckeye on the scoreboard, while freshman midfielder Reese Robinson scored for Rutgers.
Senior captain and goalie Regan Alexander had three saves and senior goalie Sophia Cardello had five.
The Buckeyes picked things up in the second quarter, scoring six goals as Alexander had another three saves. Goals were scored by attackers junior Brynn Ammerman, freshman Kate Tyack, senior captain Leah Sax and Lasda.
The Scarlet Knights also got in on the action but to a lesser extent. Three Scarlet Knight goals were scored, putting the score 7-4 at halftime.
Scarlet Knight goals were scored by midfielders freshman Payton Tini, junior Alexa Corbin and graduate and three-time First Team All-Big Ten select Cassidy Spilis, who broke the Rutgers record for all-time goals scored during the Thursday outing. Cardello had two saves.
With the Scarlet Knights determined to close the gap, the Buckeyes had a rough start to the third quarter. Rutgers scored three goals early in the third, which were completed by Spilis, sophomore midfielder Ava Chiarella and junior midfielder/attacker Michelle Warren.
The Buckeyes had eight shots with two goals, which were scored by Hargraves and Lasda, making the score 9-7 going into the final quarter. Alexander had three saves, while Cardello had one.
Lasda said the little scoring from the Buckeyes wasn’t because of a lack of opportunity, but rather imperfect shots.
“I’m really proud of our offense and the changes we’ve made since last week,” Lasda said. “We were getting to cage, it’s just those shots not falling is what it comes down to.”
The Scarlet Knights rallied to score six goals in the fourth quarter, while the Buckeyes struggled to find the back of the net, having 10 shots with only two falling in.
“I thought we got great looks on cage,” head coach Amanda Moore said. “I think this is the most shots we’ve had up in a game in probably four or five games. I’m really excited about that, just bummed that the last six all hit the pipes.”
The two Buckeye goals were scored by Sax, marking a four-goal game for the senior. Rutgers goals were scored by Tini, Silis, completing five goals total and Corbin, completing a hat trick with three goals in the game. Cardello had four saves and Alexander had three, marking 12 saves each for the two goalies.
Despite the 13-11 loss, Moore said she feels the Buckeyes played the game mostly as intended.
“I thought that we played with a lot of fire and intensity,” Moore said. “We really limited their looks those first three quarters from a defensive standpoint and Regan [Alexander] was incredible in the cage for us. We were really competitive on the draw and I thought we got great looks on cage.”
The Buckeyes have their last regular season game on Sunday against Temple. Looking forward, Moore said she aims to improve shots on goal, along with team morale.
“We’re going to work on shooting and not hitting pipes, for sure,” Moore said. “At this point, we’re nearing the end of the regular season and this is a really quick turn to Temple. We’ve literally got 48 hours and we’re going to be on a plane to Philadelphia. So for us, it’s about recovering physically, emotionally and mentally.”
The Buckeyes will take on the Temple Owls at the Temple Sports Complex in Philadelphia Sunday at noon. The matchup will be streamed on ESPN+.
