Third-year attacker Ed Sheen (10) cradles the ball through contact from an Utah defender. The Ohio State men’s lacrosse team defeated the Utes 11-8 at Ohio State Lacrosse Stadium Feb. 3. Credit: Caleb Blake | Photo Editor
The Ohio State Buckeyes (3-0, 0-0 Big Ten) took on the Bellarmine Knights (1-2, 0-0 ASUN) at Ohio State Lacrosse Stadium Tuesday, besting them 10-6.
The Buckeyes are off to a strong start this season, with previous dominating wins over their first two opponents of the season, Utah and Cleveland State.
Head coach Nick Myers said his team came into this matchup prepared.
“We’ve got film on Bellarmine and we came in and just put together the best game plan we could,” Myers said.
Both teams scored quickly, as Bellarmine struck first with a goal from sophomore defenseman Nick Ferge off an assist from junior midfielder Justin Wescoat to tie the game at one. A goal from Buckeye junior attackman Gannon Matthews within the first three minutes made the score even.
Bellarmine established control at the start of the game, dictating the shots on goal and forcing Buckeye turnovers.
Both teams struggled to maintain possession of the ball early on, with turnovers coming from both Bellarmine senior midfielder Tayo Oladunmoye and Ohio State Matthews. Nonetheless, Ohio State’s junior attacker Ben Mayer was able to push in an unassisted goal with one second remaining in the first.
The Buckeyes were able to turn it around in the second quarter, with junior midfielder Alex Marinier, junior attacker Ed Shean and Matthews all putting in goals for Ohio State. The Buckeye defense also rose up in the second quarter, forcing six Bellarmine turnovers and drawing penalties on the Knights, creating extra-man opportunities for the Buckeyes and limiting the Knights to zero goals.
Matthews highlighted the importance of finding an identity, especially with only having three days to prepare for the game.
“Offensively, it was just trying to play simple,” Matthews said. “I’m not sure we did a great job of [doing] that, but we’re still in the process of looking to do that.”
Ohio State came out of halftime with a Shean goal at the 13:37 mark followed by a Bellarmine score from senior attacker Kyle Playsted at the 13:30 mark, making the score 6-2, Buckeyes, not even two minutes removed from the break.
The Buckeyes seemingly began to find an offensive identity in the third quarter with another goal coming from Mayer at 9:44 — his fifth of the season. Mayer contributed to a goal scored by Shean not even a minute later, setting Shean up right in front of the goal for a quick score on Knights freshman goalie Jack Bryant. Shean had a hat trick on the day.
Ohio State’s scoring continued to amp up in the third, entering the fourth quarter with another goal from Matthews with one second remaining in the third, his 10th on the season, which gave him a hat trick of his own. The Buckeyes led 9-2.
Entering the fourth, the Buckeyes had been putting more shots on goal than the Knights the entire game, outshooting them 17 shots to eight for the first three quarters. The fourth saw the Knights putting up more shots on goal than the Buckeyes, outshooting Ohio State 6-to-1.
The Knights entered the fourth quarter in desperation, attempting to generate Buckeye turnovers and put more shots on goal by playing aggressively. The desperation tactics employed by the Knights reaped Buckeye turnovers and penalties, including an illegal check by senior midfielder Denton Macdonald that resulted in a one-minute extra-man opportunity for the Buckeyes.
However, the Knights were able to generate some offense starting at the 4:37 mark in the fourth with a score from sophomore attacker John Alie after a goal from junior Alex Marinier, making the score of the game 10-3 Ohio State.
The aggressive defense of the Knights in the fourth allowed for the offense to finally come to life, scoring three goals to Ohio State’s zero in the final two minutes of the game.
“You finish off a home stand undefeated and now you take it to the road trying to get your first road win,” Myers said. “We’re going up against a really, really tough Air Force team.”
