Ohio State then-freshman Tre Leclaire maintains possession of the ball in the first quarter against Loyola Maryland in the first round of the NCAA tournament on May 14, 2017 at Ohio Stadium. Credit: Sheridan Hendrix | Oller Reporter
The No. 6 Ohio State men’s lacrosse team remained undefeated after an electrifying performance from sophomore attack Tre Leclaire led the Buckeyes (4-0) to a 12-11 victory against unranked Jacksonville (2-3) Sunday.
Ohio State trailed 11-9 as the clock ran dangerously low in the fourth quarter, but rallied behind Leclaire, who scored three straight goals to tie and eventually win the game in overtime.
Leclaire’s game-tying goal was scored with just 1.8 seconds left on the clock and came off a long-distance feed from junior midfielder Logan Maccani.
Leclaire, who had previously been held scoreless by a solid Dolphins defense headed by freshman Dixon Smith, exploded again in overtime, quickly getting a close-range shot off against junior Jacksonville goalie Hunter Sells, who managed to shut down the attempt.
Sells’ incredible save kept the hope of an upset alive for the Dolphins, but Leclaire came back for more and scored the game-winning goal after another feed from Maccani.
The rally closed out a tight, four-plus-quarter battle that kept the Buckeyes’ win streak alive. Ohio State came out of the gate with two first-quarter goals, but was beaten offensively in the second and third quarters by the Dolphins, who scored eight goals to Ohio State’s four.
Six Buckeyes, including sophomore midfielder Ryan Terefenko and senior attack Colin Chell, scored. They helped the team put up 27 shots on goal, while Jacksonville had a combined 36 shots on the Ohio State defense. Both teams finished with 13 wins in the faceoff circle.
Ohio State takes on No. 19 Marquette in Wisner Stadium in Pontiac, Michigan, kicking off the Midwest Lacrosse Classic Friday.
