Women’s Lacrosse: Buckeyes fall just short in matchup against Bearcats

For only the second time in series history, the Bearcats came out on top.

The Ohio State women’s lacrosse team (7-5, 1-3 Big Ten) dropped a 13-11 wire-to-wire game against the Cincinnati Bearcats (10-4, 2-1 AAC) Friday at the Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. 

The loss marks their first against the Bearcats since 2018 and their second all-time against the program. 

The first quarter was a back-and-forth affair between the two teams, ending 6-4 with the Bearcats on the top. 

Bearcat goals were completed by several players, including graduate midfielder Grace Jenny, senior midfielder Lindsey Durkota and senior attacker Lauren Ottensmeyer, who currently places second in the NCAA for goals. 

Sophomore attacker Camryn Callaghan, who currently places fourth in the NCAA for goals, and freshman midfielder and two-time Under Armor All-American Hailey Joy Simpson also joined the offensive flurry for five goals. 

On the other end, the Buckeyes returned friendly fire. 

Goals from junior midfielder Annie Hargraves, senior midfielder Emily Magalotti and junior attacker Brynn Ammerman — who currently leads the team in assists — kept the Buckeyes within striking distance.  

Just like Cincinnati, Ohio State’s top players performed well. Freshman attacker Kate Tyack, who was recently named Big Ten Player of the Week after completing a hat trick in a matchup against Penn State, followed up with another after scoring three goals in the noon matchup. 

Six goals were scored in the second quarter, three from each team, keeping the 2-point score at bay going into halftime. Cincinnati’s aggressive defense was a major factor as the Buckeyes had few opportunities to score.

Senior captain Jamie Lasda, who currently leads the Buckeyes in goals and points, scored two goals, and Tyack scored one. Ottensmeyer scored all three goals for the Bearcats, making the score 9-7 at the half.

Both Buckeye senior captain and goalie Regan Alexander and Bearcat graduate goalie Victoria Macres had one save.

Similar to the quarter prior, three goals were scored by each team, maintaining the 2-point score gap in favor of Cincinnati. 

Simpson, Ottensmeyer and Callaghan scored for the Bearcats. Lasda, Tyack and senior captain and attacker Leah Sax scored for the Buckeyes, leaving the score 12-10 at the end of the third. Alexander had five saves, while Macres had two.

Only two goals were scored in the final quarter, yet like the other quarters, one came from each team. Ammerman scored for the Buckeyes and Callaghan scored for the Bearcats, securing the Bearcats’ 10th win of the season. Alexander and Macres each had one save.

The Buckeyes were not able to catch up after the first quarter, consistently trailing behind by single digits the entire game. Both teams used their most talented offense, with Callaghan and Ottensmeyer both completing hat tricks for the Bearcats. Lasda and Tyack did the same for the Buckeyes.

The game against the Bearcats began an away-game stint for the Buckeyes, as they will take on Louisville at the University of Louisville Lacrosse Stadium at 1 p.m. Tuesday.