The Ohio State women’s lacrosse team celebrates after a goal during their 16-6 win over Louisville at Ohio State Lacrosse Stadium Mar. 28, 2023. Credit: Caleb Blake | Photo Editor
In their closest matchup of the season thus far, the Buckeyes came out on top.
The Ohio State women’s lacrosse team (5-1, 0-0 Big Ten) beat the Butler Bulldogs (1-4, 0-0 Big East) 17-10 on Saturday at the Ohio State Lacrosse Stadium.
The Buckeyes showed resolve and resilience in a bounce-back victory after suffering a 15-5 defeat — their first of the season — against Denver on Feb. 23. Senior captain and attacker Leah Sax said the Buckeyes worked hard to improve for Saturday’s game.
“We put our heads down and we worked,” Sax said. “We had a tough go last week in Colorado and we came back, worked really hard this week and I think that the biggest thing is that everyone stepped up in the last quarter to do their role and set each other up for success.”
The Bulldogs came out with intensity, scoring the first two goals of the game during the first quarter, which were done by senior midfielder and 2023 All-Big East First Team select Leah Rubino and sophomore attacker Luci Selander.
However, the early success for the Bulldogs didn’t set the tone for the rest of the game as the Buckeyes went on a six-goal run after a timeout by Ohio State.
Three more goals were scored in the first quarter thanks to junior midfielder Annie Hargraves, junior attacker Brynn Ammerman and senior captain and attacker Jamie Lasda. Ammerman currently leads the Buckeyes with 24 points while Lasda leads in goals with 22.
Head coach Amanda Moore said she emphasized determination during the timeout that sparked the Buckeyes run.
“I think for us, it just felt like we were starting a little bit on our heels from an offensive, defensive and draw standpoint, so all three areas of the field,” Moore said. “I think it was just reminding them that everybody brings their best. You’ve gotta want it more, and you have to dig in to win a game.”
The first quarter ended with a 3-2 score, and senior goalie Regan Alexander had two saves for the Buckeyes while Bulldogs junior goalie Caroline Smith also had two saves.
Both teams played aggressively in the second quarter, but the Buckeyes maintained the upper hand as they were able to convert offensively more than the Bulldogs. Goals from Sax, Lasda, freshman midfielder Kampbell Stone and two more from Ammerman, marking a three-goal day and her first career hat trick.
Selander scored two additional goals in the second quarter, completing a hat trick and making the score 8-4 at halftime.
The Bulldogs picked things up in the third quarter, scoring four goals and winning four draws, while Ohio State scored two goals and won two draws. The Bulldog goals came from redshirt sophomore and attacker Kayleigh Colleary, Selander, Rubino and freshman midfielder Emily Eckert.
Hargraves and senior captain and midfielder Emily Magalotti both had goals for the Buckeyes, making the score 10-8 at the end of the quarter.
The Buckeyes widened the score gap as they scored seven goals, two with seconds left in the game. The goals were scored by Lasda, Magalotti, Sax, and midfielders junior Sophie Patton and sophomore Casey Roberts. Lasda led the Buckeyes this game with five goals.
The Bulldogs had two goals in the final quarter thanks to Rubino and Colleary. Alexander had three saves and Smith had two, as the pair combined for a game total 23 saves.
Sax said she accredits the Buckeyes’ scoring spree in the final quarter to a team decision to reset themselves before the game’s end.
“Back home on our home turf, we decided that we wanted to define the Buckeye standard and took a deep breath and started playing really selflessly,” Sax said. “So, moving through for each other, making an extra pass and I think that we really tuned into our shooting, so we kind of stepped it up a little bit and just tuned into the Buckeye standard.”
The Buckeyes will take on No. 6 Michigan on Thursday at 6 p.m. at the U-M Lacrosse Stadium in Ann Arbor. The game will be streamed live on Big Ten Plus.
