March 14, 2015
COLUMBUS, Ohio – On Senior Day in Ohio Stadium, the Ohio State men’s lacrosse team defeated No. 3-ranked Denver, 13-11, to stay undefeated at home (5-0). Ohio State trailed 11-9 early in the fourth quarter but scored the game’s final four goals, while shutting out the Pioneers for the last 14:53, en route to the win. The Buckeyes improve to 6-2 overall (0-0 B1G) and Denver is now 4-2 (0-0 Big East).
The game was tied eight times and each team held the lead four times until the Buckeyes went ahead for good at 10:46 of the fourth quarter. Ohio State led 3-2 at the end of the first quarter and the teams were tied at seven at halftime. The Buckeyes tied the game at nine with 6:21 left in the third quarter but DU tallied at 2:26 and then scored seven seconds into the fourth for a two-goal lead (11-9). Ohio State’s Tyler Pfister and Colin Chell scored 1:47 apart to tie the game at 11 with 12:12 left in regulation and Jesse King then put Ohio State on top at 10:46, followed by a goal from Carter Brown at 8:15.
“It was a special day in Ohio Stadium,” Nick Myers, Ohio State head coach, said. “We had the opportunity to recognize 12 seniors and the impact they have had on this lacrosse family over their four years. To deliver a big win at home on Senior Day is rewarding for all the hard work this group has invested. Our team will need to shift gears quickly and focus on a very talented Towson team we face on the road Tuesday night. We look forward to getting back to work with this group and trying to build off today’s effort.”
Against Denver, Buckeye redshirt sophomore Pfister had a team-best three goals and four points, while King had two goals and two assists for four points, including the gamewinning goal. Brown had three points with two goals and an assist and senior David Planning had three points on a goal and two helpers. Freshman Chell scored twice in the win and senior Reegan Comeault had a goal and the gamewinning assist. Ohio State redshirt sophomore goalie Tom Carey made 11 saves in the cage.
Before the game, the members of the Buckeye senior class were honored: Ryan Borcherding, Comeault, Kevin Duffy, Turner Evans, Ben Karr, King, Rick Lewis, Spencer Matches, Christopher May, Mulchrone, Planning and Cameron Stephens
Ohio State led 3-2 after the first quarter. Sophomore John Kelly set up Planning for a goal at 12:49 but the Pioneers responded with the next two goals, at 11:17 and 8:53, to take a 2-1 lead. The Buckeyes answered, with King tying the game at two at 7:16 and Pfister setting up Brown for a goal at 3:33 to put Ohio State back in the lead. Denver outshot the Buckeyes, 11-6, in the quarter and Carey made four saves for the Buckeyes.
Denver scored the first three goals of the second quarter, all in the first 4:06, to tie the game and take a 5-3 lead. Connor Cannizzaro tallied at 13:20 and Wesley Berg scored back-to-back at 12:13 and 10:54. The teams then traded goals in 16 seconds, with Planning setting up senior Turner Evans for a goal at 9:16 and Denver’s Erik Adamson tallying off an assist from Trevor Baptiste after a DU faceoff win at 9:10, making the score 6-4. Ohio State went on a three-goal run to take the lead for the third time. Pfister scored unassisted at 6:09, sophomore JT Blubaugh tied the game at six at 5:19 and Brown set up Chell at 4:50, putting Ohio State on top, 7-6. Just five seconds later, Baptiste won the faceoff and scored for DU, tying the game at seven. Shots were 11-9 in favor of the Pioneers in the quarter.
Pfister scored unassisted 43 seconds into the third quarter to put Ohio State ahead 8-7, but the Pioneers’ Adamson tallied at 11:19 and 6:57 for a 9-8 DU lead. King set up Comeault at 6:21 after a failed Pioneer clear to tie the game at nine. The Pioneers’ Zach Miller had the final goal of the quarter, putting Denver ahead 10-9 at 2:26. Denver again had 11 shots, with Ohio State attempting five.
Denver’s Baptiste scored just seven seconds into the fourth quarter for Denver’s first two-goal lead since the second quarter (11-9). Less than a minute later, Planning set up Pfister for a goal to draw Ohio State within one (11-10) at 13:59. At 12:12, King found Chell and he came around the net and scored, deadlocking the score for the eighth time (11-11). At 10:46, Comeault found King and he scored for Ohio state’s first lead since early in the third quarter. The final goal came from Brown at 8:15, Ohio State’s first two-goal advantage. Shots were 8-5 in favor of Ohio State in the quarter. Carey made two saves in the stanza.
The Buckeyes were outshot, 38-28, in the game. Carey had 11 saves and Denver’s LaPlante made seven stops.
Denver had the advantage in faceoffs (19-9) and groundballs (29-23). Buckeye freshman Brendan Barger led Ohio State with five groundballs, while Mulchrone, who caused two turnovers, and Carey each had three.
Ohio State was unable to score on two man-up chances and Denver was 0-for-1. Ohio State has not allowed a man-up goal in eight opponent attempts this season.
The game vs. Denver opened a stretch of three games in a week for the Buckeyes. The squad will play at Towson at 7 p.m. Tuesday before taking on Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind., at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.
The win was the Buckeyes’ first over a team ranked in the Top 3 of the USILA poll since defeating Denver, 11-10, in the 2013 ECAC Tournament championship game May 4, 2013.
King, the Buckeyes’ leading scorer with 21 goals, 12 assists and 33 points, extended his point streak to 44 games (90g, 63a, 153p in the stretch) with his fourth consecutive four-point day. Brown had his fourth multiple goal day of the year and is second on the team with 12 tallies and 22 points. Planning has a point in each of his last nine games and has 17 points on the year, with eight goals and nine assists. Chell had his fourth two-goal game as a Buckeye and has eight goals this season. Pfister’s three goals and four points were a career high and marked his first points of the season.
