In front of more than 24,000 Buckeye sports fans, the Ohio State men’s lacrosse team (6-7, 1-2) defeated Michigan (3-8, 0-3) by a score of 10-7 in the annual Showdown in the Shoe.
Sophomore midfielder Trevor Hodgins scored three goals and senior attacker Carter Brown added two scores and an assist in the annual prelude to the OSU football spring game.
The win is the fifth straight against the Wolverines in the same number of years, something Brown said he was proud of as a graduating senior.
“To go 4-0 against our rival — that’s what we work for and strive for,” he said.
Senior defenseman and co-captain Robby Haus shared Brown’s the sentiments, adding the team’s energy in the game gave them the boost they needed.
“It doesn’t take much to get excited for that team up north,” Haus said. “For us seniors, it’s … our last chance to go 4-0 and be able to look back on our careers and remember that we were able to not lose to them.”
OSU coach Nick Myers said he was proud of his two seniors, Brown and Haus, saying they “poured their hearts out” in front of a crowd that neared 55,000 when the final whistle blew.
The 1965-1966 OSU men’s lacrosse alumni were also present at the game. This, coupled with the large crowd and the game being a rivalry game, was something that made it a special day, team members said.
“There’s a lot of buildup to this week. You focus on just what you need to do to accomplish and get the result that you want,” Myers said.
After falling down 3-2 in the first quarter, the Buckeye defense limited the Wolverines to only 10 combined shots — and just one goal — in the second and third periods.
Redshirt junior goalie Tom Carey had seven combined saves in the two quarters and 11 total. Hodgins scored two of his three goals to give the Scarlet and Gray a 6-4 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
A Michigan goal from freshman attacker Decker Curran cut the OSU lead to 6-5, but a string of three OSU goals in less than three minutes secured the win for the Buckeyes.
OSU junior midfield specialist Jake Withers went 13-of-21 in faceoff attempts on the day, and senior defenseman Chris Mahoney had two groundball pickups and caused one Wolverine turnover to help the Scarlet and Gray get the win.
Overall, OSU outshot the Wolverines 40-29.
The win brings the Buckeyes’ six-game losing streak to an end and gives them their first win in the Big Ten this year. With only two games left in the regular season, the team is treating every game as if it is a must-win.
“We’re fighting for our lives every game,” Brown said. “Hopefully we get some momentum from this win.”
The Scarlet and Gray are set to continue Big Ten play on April 24 when they face off against No. 5 Maryland. The game is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. in College Park, Maryland.
