Men’s Lacrosse Closes Out Regular Season at Penn State – Ohio State Buckeyes
5/2/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
May 2, 2003
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Gameday
The No. 15/17 Ohio State men’s lacrosse team (9-3, 4-1 GWLL) ends its regular season with a game at No. 12/16 Penn State (6-6, 3-2 ECAC). The Buckeyes and Nittany Lions will meet at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Jeffrey Field in State College, Pa. The Buckeyes are coming off a 12-9 victory over UMBC Wednesday.
Next Up
The Buckeyes will learn their first-round opponent for the 2003 NCAA Championship at 8 p.m. Sunday when the 16-team field is announced live on ESPNews. Ohio State earned the Great Western Lacrosse League’s automatic bid into the tournament.
The Rankings
The Buckeyes held on to the No. 15 spot in the Warrior/Inside Lacrosse Media Poll and moved up one to the No. 17 position in the USILA Coaches rankings. Penn State is ranked 16th by Inside Lacrosse and is tied for 12th in the USILA rankings.
Honored – Again
Senior attackman Curtis Smith was named the Great Western Lacrosse League’s Player of the Week after his performance against Butler, the league announced Wednesday. It marked the second time this season Smith has been so honored. Smith had a team-high seven points in the Buckeyes’ 14-10 win over Butler that clinched a share of the GWLL title and the team’s first-ever berth in the NCAA tournament. He posted three goals, including the fourth-quarter gamewinner, and four assists in the win over the Bulldogs.
This marks the fifth time this season a Buckeye has been named the league’s player of the week. Junior defender Greg Bice was honored April 15, while junior goalie Tony Russo received the accolade both March 26 and April 8. Smith was first honored March 18.
OSU vs. Penn State – The Series
The Buckeyes trail the all-time series vs. Penn State, 0-6. The squads last met in 1996, an 8-7 PSU win in overtime in Columbus.
The Series
Date W/L O-P Score Location 2/25/96 L 7-8 (OT) H 3/3/95 L 7-15 A 4/3/82 L 10-14 A 4/4/81 L 5-15 H 4/5/80 L 3-17 n/a 4/7/79 L 11-14 H
A Look at the Nittany Lions
Penn State is 6-6 on the year. The squad had a five-game winning streak stopped with an 11-10 loss to Virginia last Saturday. The squad has posted wins over Fairfield, Massachusetts, Hobart, Navy, Bucknell and Rutgers. Nate Whitaker leads PSU in goals (21) and points (31), while Luke Ogelsby is first in assists (19) and ranks second with 30 points. Marshall Feldman comes in second with 19 goals and third with 25 points on the year. In goal, Chris Garrity has seen action in all 12 games, with a goals-against average of 9.45 and a .552 save percentage.
As a team, the Nittany Lions are outstanding on man-up offense, ranking third in the country after scoring on 41.7 percent of their chances this season. The squad average 10.5 goals overall per game, while allowing 9.42.
At the Helm
Glenn Thiel, a 1966 graduate of Penn State, is in his 26th year at the helm of the Nittany Lions and in his 36th year of coaching overall. He is 189-136 at PSU and 266-172 in his career. Thiel also served as the held coach at Virginia, leading the Cavaliers to a NCAA title in 1972.
About the League
Penn State competes in the ECAC, a six-time conference that also includes Georgetown, Massachusetts, Rutgers, Navy and UMBC. Ohio State is 1-1 against ECAC teams this season, with a win over UMBC and a loss to Navy.
The Century Mark
Curtis Smith’s first-quarter goal against UMBC was the 100th of his Buckeye career, making him just the seventh Buckeye to post 100 or more career goals. Just six other Buckeyes have posted 100 or more goals in their careers – Terry Gilmore (123), Bill Rodgers (107), Thomas Holzer (103), David Blue (102), Skip Van Bourgondien (101) and Brian Driscoll (100).
Two-For-Two
Ryan Laffey was accurate against UMBC, as he scored two goals on two shots.
A High
Curtis Smith posted five points in the win over the Retrievers and now has a career-best (and team-high) 51 points this season. Included in the total is a personal-best 19 assists on the season.
Tied It
Shaun Lyons tied his career high with two goals against UMBC. His first multiple-goal game was vs. Manhattan last season.
5 x 5 x 5
Anthony Kelly posted an assist in the win over UMBC, marking his fifth point of the season. He had five points in each of his last two seasons as well.
Pick Up
Anthony Kelly moved into the lead in the squad’s race for the groundball title with five pickups vs. UMBC. He has 47 groundballs on the year, two ahead of Greg Bice with 45. Kelly won the team’s groundball award in each of his first three seasons.
#21
Bryan Mulford, who has started the last four games, has a career-best 12 points this season and a career-high tying five goals. He has four points, on three goals and an assist, in his last two games combined.
What a Win
The Buckeyes’ 14-10 win over Butler Saturday (April 26) was important in two ways. First, the victory gave the squad a share of the Great Western Lacrosse League title. The share of the title gave the Buckeyes the program’s first-ever berth in the NCAA championship tournament.
How It Works
Ohio State shares the GWLL title with Notre Dame, who also ended league play 4-1. Denver also can clinch a share of the title if it wins its last GWLL game (vs. Air Force Saturday).
The Buckeyes own both tiebreakers for the automatic bid. If just OSU and ND finish tied, the Buckeyes win based on their 11-5 victory over the Irish. Should Denver win out and all three teams tie, the second tiebreaker is total goals allowed in games between the three tied teams and OSU wins that as well (OSU – 12; DU – 14; ND – 20). No team swept the other two during the season.
Title Info
The Buckeyes last shared the GWLL title in 1999, head coach Joe Breschi’s second season with the squad. That was the school’s first crown since 1988.
Go Out on a High
The Buckeyes closed out the home portion of the regular season on a five-game winning streak following their win over UMBC. The team was 5-2 at home this season.
Mr. Accurate
Curtis Smith has scored on 32-of-59 shots this season, a shooting percentage of .542. He is the only Buckeye with more than 25 shots to score on at least 30 percent of his chances this season.
Always There
Six Buckeye seniors – Anthony Kelly, Nick Miceli, Bryan Mulford, Pat Myers, Mike Norton and Curtis Smith – have seen action in every game in their Buckeye careers. Every member of the group played in 14 games in each of their first three seasons and has seen action in all 12 games so far this year.
Top 5
Buckeye Curtis Smith ranked fifth in the nation in both points per game (4.18) and goals per game (2.73) through games of April 27.
Just In
Mike Norton entered the national rankings (through games of April 27) for assists per game following his four-assist performance vs. Butler. He ranks 16th, averaging 1.64 assists a game.
And the Others
Goalie Tony Russo is seventh in the country in goals-against average (7.21). Anthony Kelly is 17th in faceoff winning percentage (.561). (All are through games of April 27.)
De-Fense! De-Fense!
The Buckeyes are fifth in the nation in man-down defense (.815) and sixth in the country in scoring defense (7.27). Among the defensive leaders for the Buckeyes are starters Mike McKenna, Peter Frantz and Greg Bice.
Among the Best
The Buckeyes also are among the best teams in the nation in a number of other categories. The squad ranks seventh in winning percentage (.727), 11th in faceoff winning percentage (.560), 12th in scoring margin (3.27) and 13th in scoring offense (10.55).
Toward the Top
Curtis Smith now stands in fourth place in OSU history for career points with 153. He is 10 behind third-place Craig Cooper (1974-78).
Smith ranks fifth (tied) in program history for career goals with 101. He is tied with Skip Van Bourgondien (1971-73) and is one behind David Blue (1990-93).
Moving Up
Junior goalie Tony Russo stands in eighth place in Ohio State history for career saves with 457. Russo is 26 saves behind seventh-place All-American Mike Abeles (1997-00).
Assists – and Points
Mike Norton is tied for fourth all-time in program history in assists with 75 (with Craig Cooper). Norton recently moved into the Top 20 in career points and now stands 18th with 112.
Double-Figure Trio
Curtis Smith, Anthony Gilardi and Mike Norton are the only Buckeyes with 10 or more assists this season. Norton and Smith are tied for the team lead with 19, while Gilardi has 10.
… And a Quintet
Pat Donohue became the fifth Buckeye to post double-figure goals this season after his two-goal outing vs. Butler. He is joined by Curtis Smith (32), Anthony Gilardi (15), Pat Myers (16) and Tom Randisi (11).
On D
The Buckeyes have shut down their opponents in the second half this season, allowing a total of just 35 goals in the two quarters combined (while scoring 59).
At the Faceoff X
As a team, the Buckeyes have won 55.6 percent (143-of-257) of their faceoffs this season. Anthony Kelly has taken the majority of the draws, winning 118-of-210 (.562).
At The Helm
Joe Breschi, a 1990 graduate of North Carolina, is in his fifth season at the helm of the Buckeyes. A standout player for the Tar Heels, he was a two-time All-ACC selection, a two-time All-America honoree and a North-South All-Star Game participant in 1990. Breschi was a member of the U.S. National Team in 1994 and 1998. Prior to coming to Ohio State, Breschi served as an assistant coach at Brown (1993-97) and at UNC, his alma mater (1991-92).
His career record stands at 47-32. Breschi moved into second place all-time in OSU history for coaching wins after the Buckeyes’ victory over Delaware March 31. Paul Hartman’s 57 wins from 1961-66 rank first.
Up Next
The Buckeyes will compete for the first time in the NCAA tournament. First round games will be held Saturday and Sunday, May 10 and 11.
Last Time Out – OSU 12, UMBC 9
No. 17-ranked Ohio State defeated No. 14 UMBC, 12-9, Wednesday afternoon at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. The win improves the Buckeyes to 9-3 overall. The Retrievers drop to 7-6 in their regular season finale. Pat Myers led the way for Ohio State with three goals, while four others – Bryan Mulford, Curtis Smith, Ryan Laffey and Shaun Lyons, each tallied twice. Curtis Smith added a team-high three assists for a game-high five points.
“I’m really proud of our seniors for the way they played in their last home game,” Joe Breschi, OSU head coach, said. “It’s not an easy situation to come back and play a team ranked higher than you just a few days after such an emotional game (when the team clinched a NCAA tournament berth against Butler Saturday).”
The teams ended the first quarter tied at five. Mulford got the Buckeyes on the board with an unassisted goal just over two minutes into the game. UMBC’s Josh Dodson tied the game at one at the 9:46 mark. The Buckeyes then scored two goals in eight seconds (at 9:10 and 9:02), by Lyons and Mike Norton, to take a 3-1 lead. Phil Grillo cut the Buckeyes’ lead to one at 8:07 and the score remained 3-2 until Curtis Smith regained the Buckeyes’ two-goal edge at 6:41. The Retrievers quickly responded, as Pat Muston scored just 13 seconds later. Brendan Mundorf tied the game at four with 3:46 left in the quarter. Myers scored his first goal of the game at 2:12 to put OSU up by one, but UMBC’s Josh Gerber tallied with one second to end the quarter with the teams tied at five.
UMBC took its first lead of the game less than a minute into the second quarter on a Franklin Berry goal. Myers then scored twice, at 6:51 and 2:19, to send the Buckeyes into halftime with a 7-6 edge.
The Buckeyes posted three goals in the third quarter and held the Retrievers scoreless to extend their lead to four (10-6). Lyons tallied at 7:35, before Laffey and Mulford scored at 5:26 and 4:06, respectively, with Curtis Smith assisting on both goals.
UMBC mounted a comeback in the fourth quarter, scoring three consecutive goals to cut OSU’s lead to one with 9:51 remaining. The score remained 10-9 until Laffey put the Buckeyes up by two (11-9) at the 5:47 mark. Curtis Smith ended the scoring with a goal with 16 seconds left in the game.
