Ohio State then-junior attackman Tre Leclaire (44) passes the ball during their match against Rutgers at Ohio Stadium on Mar. 31. Ohio State lost 6-14. Credit: Willow Mollenkopf | Lantern File Photo
Despite graduate attackman Tre Leclaire continuing his hot streak, the Buckeyes came up short for the second time against a top-15 opponent.
No. 12 Ohio State traveled to take on No. 14 Penn State in another top-20 Big Ten matchup, but the Buckeyes left State College, Pennsylvania, empty-handed after dropping the game 15-13.
Both Penn State and Ohio State played physical and quick lacrosse as the two teams tried to edge out the other. In a back and forth game, the Nittany Lions were able to showcase their skill and exploit the flaws in the Buckeyes.
Offensively, junior attackmen TJ Malone scored five goals for the Nittany Lions in an offensive explosion.
Complementing Malone, graduate attackmen Mac O’Keefe and Dylan Fouldes combined for seven goals to provide the Nittany Lions with an offensive punch.
Offensively for the Buckeyes, Leclaire secured his third straight hat trick with three goals against the Nittany Lions. Leclaire is now only three goals away from tying the all-time goals record in Ohio State history.
Junior attackman Jack Myers joined Leclaire with three goals scored.
Turnovers were a driving force behind Penn State carrying momentum.
The Nittany Lions committed only eight turnovers in the second half and 18 in total. The Buckeyes, however, committed 11 turnovers in the second half and 24 in total.
Defensively, Ohio State faced a lot of shots for a second straight week. Junior goalie Skylar Wahlund faced 43 shots for Ohio State while Penn State graduate goalie Colby Kneese saw 35 shots.
In the middle of the field, senior faceoff man Justin Inacio went 17-of-29, rebounding from last week’s game. Despite Inacio’s play at the faceoff, the Buckeyes were unable to secure more ground balls than Penn State, allowing them to maintain the ball more and control the game.
Graduate defenseman Jeff Henrick caused three turnovers on the defensive end of the field, and Myers caused two turnovers on the offensive side of the field, with one resulting in a goal for the Buckeyes.
For Penn State, sophomore defenseman Sutton Boland played with a controlled aggression that allowed him to cause two turnovers and take pressure off Kneese in goal.
Ohio State has now lost back-to-back games as Penn State gets its first win of the young season. The Buckeyes will look to return to the win column next week as they return to Columbus to take on the Michigan Wolverines in Ohio Stadium.
The Buckeyes and Wolverines are set to square off March 13 on ESPNU.
