Ohio State
Notre Dame
Buckeyes Fall to No. 6/7 Notre Dame, 8-7 – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/21/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
March 21, 2012
OSU vs ND PDF boxscore | Video highlights | Photo gallery
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State men’s lacrosse team’s rally fell short, as the squad dropped a non-conference game to No. 6/7-ranked Notre Dame, 8-7, Wednesday in Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium in front of 932 fans.
The Buckeyes will close out their six-game homestand when they host ECAC Lacrosse League foe Bellarmine at 7 p.m. Saturday in Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium on Senior Night. There are many events on campus that day and fans should allow extra time to reach the parking lots and stadium. Public parking for lacrosse is available in the Gray lots (just west of Bill Davis Stadium), the Fawcett Center lot and the Buckeye lots (corner of Fred Taylor and Ackerman).
Against the Irish (5-1, 0-0 Big East), the Buckeyes (3-5, 1-0 ECAC) responded to tie the game twice in the first quarter before Notre Dame scored the only goal of the second stanza to head into halftime ahead 3-2. The teams traded goals twice in the third quarter, with Ohio State pulling within one twice. A goal by Notre Dame with 1:12 left in the third gave the Irish a two-goal lead (6-4) and a tally at 10:42 of the fourth quarter extended the score to three. The Buckeyes then scored back-to-back goals to draw within one (7-6) with 2:22 left. The Irish won the ensuing faceoff and scored just seven seconds later for an 8-6 advantage. Ohio State tallied with 19 seconds remaining in regulation for an 8-7 game and won the next faceoff, but the Irish defense forced a late turnover to preserve the win. Junior Logan Schuss led the Buckeyes with two assists and three points, with freshman Jesse King scoring twice.
The teams were tied at 2 after the first quarter, with Ohio State tying the game twice. Conor Doyle opened the scoring for the Irish at 10:43 before freshman David Planning scored off an assist from junior Nick Liddil at 6:10. At 3:13 Tyler Andersen put ND back on top with a goal, but junior Dominique Alexander found sophomore Adam Trombley for a tally at 1:03. Ohio State outshot Notre Dame, 11-3, in the quarter, with Irish goalie John Kemp making four saves.
The Irish scored the only goal of the second half when Sean Rogers tallied at the 4:30 mark. Kemp had five saves in the quarter, with sophomore Greg Dutton making three stops in the Buckeye cage, including one with 37 seconds remaining to keep it a one-goal game. Shots were 7-6 in favor of Ohio State in the stanza.
The teams traded goals in the third quarter, as the Buckeyes remained within one, before the Irish scored back-to-back goals late in the third and in the fourth to take a three-goal lead for the first time. Max Pefifer scored at 9:43 before Schuss drove to the net for a tally at 7:32. Pfeifer added his second of the game at 3:33 but Ohio State again responded at 2:17 when King scored after a failed clear by the Irish. Pat Cotter put the Irish ahead by two at 1:12 and Tyler Brenneman extended the lead to three at 10:42 of the fourth quarter. Ohio State took 11 shots, with Kemp making four saves in the third quarter. Dutton had one save, with Notre Dame putting four shots on goal.
Ohio State cut the lead to one (7-6) on goals by King at 6:07 and freshman Turner Evans at 2:22, with Schuss assisting on both. After Evans’ goal, Liam O’Connor won the faceoff and raced down the field for a score at 2:15, regaining ND’s two-goal lead (8-6). Sophomore Tyler Frederick set up freshman Reegan Comeault for a goal with 19 seconds to play, making it a one-goal game for the seventh time. Ohio State won the faceoff, but the Irish defense was able to force a stop. Shots were 12-8 in favor of the Buckeyes in the quarter. Dutton had two saves, with Kemp stopping four.
Ohio State outshot the Irish, 41-21, in the game. Dutton played all 60 minutes and had six saves. Kemp had 17 shots for the Irish in all 60 minutes.
Shawn Kaplan took all 19 faceoffs for Ohio State, winning a season-best 12. The Buckeyes won the groundball battle, 31-25, led by Kaplan with five and Dutton with four. King and junior Kevin Mack had three each. Each team caused six caused turnovers; King and senior Joe Bonanni each had two for Ohio State. The Buckeyes were 11-for-12 on clears, with Notre Dame 14-for-19. Both teams were unsuccessful on three extra-man chances.
Postgame Notes
• Schuss, with three points, extended his point streak to 38 games (each game of his collegiate career). He has a team-best 22 goals and 30 points and shares the assist lead with Frederick and Liddil with eight each. Schuss has 138 points in his career to tie for 11th in program history and is four assists outside of the Top 10 all-time with 53.
• King has back-to-back two-goal games. He is second on the team with eight goals and 11 points.
• Kaplan has won 47-of-88 faceoffs this year (.534). He is first on the squad with 24 groundballs.
• Dutton has a 7.72 goals-against average and .533 save percentage on the year.
• Ohio State has faced a team ranked in the Top 13 nationally in five of its last six games.
• Liddil is on a three-game point streak. He has a career-high eight assists and nine points this year.
• Frederick extended his point streak to four. He has a point in all but one game this season.
• Planning has a point in each of his last four games (3g, 1a).
