Women’s Lacrosse Ranked Nationally at No. 20 – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/20/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
March 20, 2002
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – The 20th-ranked Ohio State (4-0) women’s lacrosse squad continues on the road with two matches this week. The Buckeyes enter play in the American Lacrosse Conference with a 1 p.m., Saturday, March 23 game at Northwestern (1-1, 0-0). OSU then faces Delaware (2-1, prior to home matches against Towson (3/20) and James Madison (3/23)) at 1 p.m., Monday, March 25 in a non-conference match that will be played at Notre Dame.
BUCKEYES RANKED NO. 20 IN IWLCA POLL
For the first time in the history of the program, Ohio State has been ranked nationally by the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association at No. 20. The undefeated Buckeyes (4-0) knocked off No. 20 Boston University (16-7) last Saturday. The Buckeyes received 12 points in the weekly rankings and stand four points behind No. 19 William and Mary (1-4). Georgetown (5-0) tops the poll with 198 points.
MEGAN MIRICK BECOMES OHIO STATE’S ALL-TIME POINTS LEADER
With her six points against Boston University on five goals and an assist, Megan Mirick (Sr., Burke, Va.) became Ohio State’s all-time career points leader with 142. Mirick has 107 goals and 35 assists in her career. She passed the previous leader, former teammate and now assistant coach Celeste Cianfrani (1998-00) who complete her career with 138 points on 87 goals and 51 assists. Mirick leads the overall statistics for the American Lacrosse Conference in points per game at 4.75 (19) and goals per game at 4.25 (17). A LOOK AT NORTHWESTERN
The Wildcats, coached by Kelly Amonte Hiller, are 1-1 on the season. The Wildcats opened the season with a 15-2 win over Marist and then lost 13-6 to Richmond. Angela McMahon has a team-high five goals with two assists. Sarah Albrecht has four goals and an assist. Jenna Gantner and Courtney Koester have three goals each. In goal, Ashley Gersuk has played 90 minutes, recording 16 saves and giving up 13 goals. Meredith Philipp has 30 minutes in goal and has three saves and has given up two goals. Northwestern is averaging 10.5 goals per game and is giving up 7.5.
THE OHIO STATE – NORTHWESTERN SERIES
This will be the first contest with Northwestern.
A LOOK AT DELAWARE
The Fightin Blue Hens, coached by Denise Wescott, are 2-1 on the season. Delaware has wins over Drexel (18-2) and Rutgers (11-10) and lost to 16th-ranked Old Dominion, 14-10. They host Towson March 20 and James Madison March 23. Ashley Moderacki is the team leader with 10 goals and has two assists. Corinne Shuck has eight goals on the season and Michelle Campolettano, six. In goal, Laurie Tortorelli has 171 minutes and has 24 saves and has given up 26 goals. Lauren Burtch has two saves in nine minutes of action. Delaware is averaging 13 goals per game and is giving up 8.67.
THE OHIO STATE – DELAWARE SERIES
Delaware won the only meeting between the two schools in 2000. The 20-12 loss was played in Columbus.
A LOOK AT OHIO STATE
The Buckeyes remained undefeated at 4-0 with a 16-7 win over Boston University in a game played at the College of New Jersey. Megan Mirick is the team leader in goals with 17. Tracey Bounds (Jr., Ellicott City, Md.) is second with 12 and Regina Oliver (Fr., Pottstown, Pa.) is third with seven. Alexia Vogler (Jr., Ellicott City, Md.) has a team-high five assists. Mirick is the team’s point leader with 19 with 17 goals and two assists. Bounds is second with 14 points on 12 goals and two assists. Oliver is third with 10 on seven goals and three assists. In goal, Erin Forquer (Fr., Shaker Heights, Ohio) has started all four games and has recorded 31 saves. The Buckeyes are averaging 17.5 goals per game and are giving up five per game.
BOSTON UNIVERSITY RECAP
Ohio State went to 4-0 on the season with a 16-7 win over No. 20 Boston University in a game played at the College of New Jersey. OSU opened an 8-0 lead by the 9:55 mark of the first half. OSU’s Megan Mirick had four of the goals. The Buckeyes were up 10-1 at halftime and matched the Terriers in the second half with six goals each. Mirick finished the game with five goals and an assist with Tracey Bounds adding four goals, Regina Oliver and Kylee Reade, two. Erin Forquer played the entire game in goal for OSU recording 11 saves and giving up seven goals. Mirick’s six points in the game raised her career total points to 142 and makes her OSU’s all-time points leader.
BUCKEYES OUT TO BEST START IN HISTORY
With OSU’s 4-0 start this season, it marks the best start in the seven year history of the program. The Buckeyes began 3-1 in 1996, 2000 and 2001. The Buckeyes went to 4-1 in 1996 and 2001.
ERIN FORQUER, THE TOP GOALIE IN THE AMERICAN LACROSSE CONFERENCE
After four game, Ohio State is 4-0 and one of the reasons is the goal play by Erin Forquer (Fr., Shaker Heights, Ohio). She is the top goalie in the American Lacrosse Conference for all matches with a 5.22 goals against average and has a 62.0 saves percentage.
BUCKEYES JOIN THE AMERICAN LACROSSE CONFERENCE
Ohio State has joined with six other squads to for the American Lacrosse Conference. Members include Northwestern, Johns Hopkins, Vanderbilt, Penn State, Davidson, Ohio University and Ohio State. In the first year, Ohio State will face Northwestern, John Hopkins, Vanderbilt and Ohio University on the road and host Penn State and Davidson in league contests.
OHIO STATE RANKED FOURTH IN ALC PRESEASON POLL
By a vote of the conference coaches, Ohio State has been picked fourth in the American Lacrosse Conference Preseason Poll. The Buckeyes received 20 points. Penn State was voted first, receiving 36 points and six first place votes. John Hopkins was second with 31 points and one first place vote. Vanderbilt was third with 26 points. The remaining league members were ranked as follows: 5th Davidson (14 points), 6th Ohio University (12) and 7th Northwestern (8).
HEAD COACH SUE STIMMEL
Sue Stimmel is in her seventh year as the head coach for Ohio State. A 1984 graduate of Temple University, Stimmel is the only coach that the Buckeye program has had. She spent six years has the head coach of Denison prior to coming to Ohio State. Stimmel is 47-41 at Ohio State and is 123-59 in her career.
SCERBO AND CIANFRANI JOIN COACHING STAFF
The women’s lacrosse coaching staff has two new members this season. Michael Scerbo joins the staff after spending the last five years as the head coach of Limestone College. A 1995 graduate of SUNY-Oswego with a B.A. in biology, Scerbo had a 33-24 record at Limestone College. Former Ohio State women’s lacrosse student-athlete Celeste Cianfrani joins the coaching staff after her four-year career with the Buckeyes. She graduated with a degree in communications in the Spring of 2001. Cianfrani is Ohio State’s all-time leader in assists (51) and is second in goals (87) and career points (138). She was a 2001 Mid-Atlantic Regional All-American.
BLANTON JOINS SQUAD FROM FIELD HOCKEY
After playing the last three seasons with the field hockey team, Allison Blanton (Sr., Newton, N.J.) has joined the women’s lacrosse team for the 2002 season. She helped the Buckeye field hockey team earn a share of the Big Ten Championship and won the Big Ten Tournament. An all-Big Ten selection, Blanton was the co-MVP of the Big Ten Tournament and was a West Region second team selection of the NFHCA. She joined the lacrosse team with the departure of Megan Barnett due to injury.
READE AND TULK GAIN INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE
Two Ohio State student-athletes gained international experience last year as they played for Team Canada in the IFWLA 2001 World Cup in England. Kylee Reade and Amy Tulk (So., West Chester, Pa.) gained valuable experience as Team Canada finished fourth in the World Cup.
NEXT FOR THE BUCKEYES
Ohio State will face North Carolina at 5 p..m, Friday, March 29 in a game played at Maryland. The Buckeyes will then face Maryland at 11 a.m., Sunday, March 31. The Buckeyes conclude four weeks on the road with a 11 a.m., Saturday, April 6 game at John Hopkins.
