Ohio State
Furman
No. 17 Buckeyes Open Year with 12-6 Win over Furman
2/5/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
Feb. 5, 2017
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The No. 17-ranked Ohio State men’s lacrosse team opened its 2017 campaign with a 12-6 win over Furman (0-2) Sunday inside Woody Hayes Athletic Center.
Ohio State 12, Furman 6
Furman opened the scoring but Ohio State went on a four-goal run, with two goals in the first quarter and the first two of the second, to go ahead 4-1. After the Paladins scored at 8:06 for a 4-2 game, the Buckeyes responded with three goals in a row for a 7-2 advantage. Furman scored the final goal of the first half for a 7-3 Buckeye lead at halftime.
The Buckeyes outscored Furman 3-1 in the third quarter, including two goals in the final four minutes, to take a 10-4 lead into the final quarter. Each team scored twice in the fourth for the 12-6 final.
Senior Johnny Pearson led the Buckeyes with four goals and points, while freshman Tre Leclaire scored twice. Seniors Austin Shanks and JT Blubaugh each had a goal and an assist. Senior Tom Carey had 11 saves in the Buckeye cage, while senior Jake Withers and freshman Christian Feliziani combined for 13 faceoff wins.
WATCH: Highlights from today’s season-opening win over Furman. https://t.co/Y7LnmcPL8n #GoBucks
— Ohio State Men’s LAX (@OhioState_MLAX) February 5, 2017
Homestanding
The game opened not only the Buckeyes’ season, but also a four-game homestand. The squad will host Detroit Feb. 11, UMass Feb. 18 and Jacksonville Feb. 25. Faceoff each day is scheduled for noon inside Woody Hayes Athletic Center.
Quoting Head Coach Nick Myers
“It’s great to get that first win under our belt. There were a few lapses, but overall it was a great effort. I really liked the way we finished. It’s something we can certainly build on. Both sides of the ball have some work to do. Credit to Furman – they came in and competed, especially on a short week. It’s great to get the first win at home.”
Postgame comments from @MyersJMZ and Johnny Pearson (4g) after today’s win over Furman. #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/eGzhodEXKs
— Ohio State Men’s LAX (@OhioState_MLAX) February 5, 2017
In the First Quarter …
Furman opened the scoring at 13:16 of the opening quarter and maintained the lead until the Buckeyes notched back-to-back goals in less than two minutes. Tre Leclaire scored his first goal as a Buckeye at 4:38, followed by a goal from JT Blubaugh at 2:57. Ohio State outshot the Paladins, 11-8, in the quarter.
In the Second Quarter …
Ohio State took control in the second quarter, outscoring Furman 5-2, for a 7-3 lead at halftime.
Johnny Pearson and Austin Shanks scored back-to-back at 13:21 and 12:30, pushing the Buckeyes’ goal run to four. Furman’s Lou Yovino scored at 10:14 but the Buckeyes responded with three goals in a row. Pearson notched his second at 8:06. Following the next faceoff, Freddy Freibott, a longstick midfielder, scored on a fast break, assisted by Noah Best. Pearson had the next goal for a 7-2 Buckeye advantage, completing his hat trick. The final goal of the quarter was scored by Furman with 1:32 left, making it a 7-3 Buckeye lead at halftime. The Buckeyes had the edge in shots, 13-6.
In the Third Quarter
The Buckeyes scored three times in the third quarter, allowing just one tally, for a 10-4 lead after 45 minutes. Johnny Pearson scored his fourth of the game just 42 seconds into the third quarter, set up by JT Blubaugh. After Jonah Moore scored for Furman at 8:77, Tre Leclaire tallied off an assist from Austin Shanks at 3:44. Freshman Ryan Terefenko notched his first goal as a Buckeye on a fast break with 48 seconds left in the quarter. Each team attempted nine shots in the quarter.
In the Fourth Quarter …
Two goals were scored by each team in the final 15 minutes, with Furman scoring and the Buckeyes answering both times. The Paladins scored at 13:54 but Buckeye senior Tyler Pfister followed with a goal within the next minute (12:59). Furman’s Stephen Wierzbicki notched a goal at 7:21. With the shot clock winding down, Lukas Buckley drove the net and scored for the Buckeyes with 5:05 left in the quarter. Furman outshot the Buckeyes, 9-5, in the stanza.
In the Cage
The Buckeyes outshot the Paladins in the game, 38-32. Redshirt senior Tom Carey had 11 saves for the Buckeyes, including seven in the second half, while playing 59:32. Matthew Smidt closed out the game.
Furman had two goalies combine for nine saves, including three in the fourth quarter.
Faceoffs and Groundballs
Ohio State had the advantage in faceoffs (13-9) and groundballs (27-23). Jake Withers won 10-of-19 faceoffs, while Christian Feliziani won all three draws he took in his first collegiate game. Withers had a team-high six groundballs, while Tom Carey picked up four and sophomore Logan Maccani had three groundballs.
Noting the Buckeyes
• Freshmen Tre Leclaire, Nick Musci, Brendan Wallace, Christian Feliziani, Jeff Henrick, Ryan Terefenko and Caleb Mahoney all saw their first game action for the Buckeyes. Ben Randall, a junior transfer, played his first game for the Scarlet and Gray.
• Senior Johnny Pearson had the fourth four-goal game of his Buckeye career. He had a career-high 20 goals a season ago.
• Lukas Buckley made the first start of his Buckeye career and notched his first career goal.
• The Buckeyes improved to 18-0 all-time inside Woody Hayes Athletic Center.
• Ohio State is 7-2 all-time in season openers under head coach Nick Myers.
• The Buckeyes opened their season vs. Furman for the second year in a row. Ohio State won the inaugural meeting between the teams last season, 8-7.
