Women'[s Lacrosse Hosts St. Bonaventure and Monmouth – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/6/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
March 6, 2002
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State women’s lacrosse squad completes a three-game home stand with a noon Saturday, March 9 contest against St. Bonaventure (0-1) and a 3:30 p.m. Monday, March 11 game against Monmouth (0-1 prior to a Saturday match at Ohio University).
A LOOK AT ST. BONAVENTURE
The Bonnies, coached by Tony Zostant, opened the season with a 9-8 loss to Colgate. Laura Spaulding had five goals for St. Bonaventure with Tracy Domm adding two. In goal, Katie Jenson had nine saves.
THE OHIO STATE – ST. BONAVENTURE SERIES
Ohio State won the only meeting with the Bonnies, a 16-4 win last season. Ten Buckeyes scored goals in the game with Shannon Willson (Jr., Sherkston, Ontario) recording three.
A LOOK AT MONMOUTH
The Hawks, coached by Sue Cowperthwait, suffered a 13-7 loss to Virginia Tech to open their season. The top scorer for Monmouth was Stacy Sydio with three goals and an assist. Meg Brown added two goals and two assists in the contest.
THE OHIO STATE – MONMOUTH SERIES
Ohio State won the first-ever meeting with Monmouth, a 14-7 victory last season. Megan Mirick (Sr., Burke, Va.) had a team-high four goals in the game that saw OSU holding an 8-7 halftime lead before outscoring the Hawks, 6-0 in the second half.
A LOOK AT OHIO STATE
The Buckeyes opened the 2002 season with an 18-5 victory over Duquesne. Megan Mirick had a game-high four goals for Ohio State in the win over the Dukes. Carrie Weatherill (So., Malvern, Pa.) and Tracey Bounds (Jr., Ellicott City, Md.) added three goals each with Shannon Wilson and Regina Oliver (Fr., Pottstown, Pa.) scoring two apiece. Single goals were scored by Kelly Cook (So., Downingtown, Pa.), Lauren Cochran (Sr., Coatesville, Pa.) and Brandie Williams (Fr., Hatboro, Pa.). Alexia Vogler (Jr., Ellicott City, Md.) picked up two assists in the game with Bounds adding one. In goal for Ohio State, Erin Forquer (Fr., Sharker Heights, Ohio) had seven saves while giving up five goals in 55 minutes of play. Allison Blanton (Sr., Newton, N.J.) played the final five minutes, recording one save.
DUQUESNE RECAP
Ohio State opened the 2002 season with an 18-5 win at home over Duquesne. The Buckeyes opened the scoring with a goal by Regina Oliver with just 30 second gone in the match. The Dukes responded with a Katie Harner goal to tie the score. Oliver’s second goal put Ohio State ahead for good as OSU scored six consecutive goals to take a 7-1 lead. Duquesne cut the margin to 7-3 but OSU added five goals before halftime to take a 12-3 lead. OSU outscored the Dukes, 6-2, in the second half to win 18-5.Megan Mirck had four goals for the Buckeyes with Oliver and Caroline Weatherill adding three each. Katie Harner had four goals for Duquesne. Erin Forquer had the start in goal and recorded seven saves while giving up five goals over 55 minutes. Allison Blanton finished the game in goal, recording one save. The Buckeyes outshot Duquesne 37-17, had a 28-6 advantage in ground balls and won 14 of 25 draw controls. The win marked the fifth straight year that the Buckeyes have won their season opener.
FRESHMEN CONTRIBUTE
The Buckeye freshman class made a large contribution to the Duquesne victory. Frosh Regina Oliver scored OSU’s first two goals of the game and added a third in the second half. Goalkeeper Erin Forquer played the majority of the game and recorded seven saves in her first start.
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 44-41 at Ohio State and is 120-59 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 career points (138) and assists (51) and is second in goals (87). 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.
ACADEMIC HONORS FROM LAST SEASON
A former and a current player were honored last season as Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association Division I academic selections. Former standout and now OSU assistant coach Celeste Cianfrani and Trisha Miller were two of the 184 collegiate women’s lacrosse players honored last season.
REGIONAL ALL-AMERICANS FROM LAST SEASON
Ohio State had two student-athletes honored as Mid-Atlantic Regional All-Americans at the end of last season. Shannon Wilson (Jr., Crystal Beach, Ontario) was honored for her play in the midfield. Assistant coach Celeste Cianfrani was also honored for defense.
NEXT FOR THE BUCKEYES
Ohio State will play their next six matches on the road over the next four weeks. The Buckeyes begin the road trek with a 3:30 p.m., Saturday, March 16 game against Boston University that will be played at the College of New Jersey. The following week, the Buckeyes will play a 1 p.m., Saturday, March 23 game at Northwestern and then face Delaware at 1 p.m. Monday, March 25 in a game played at Notre Dame.
