No. 24 Buckeyes Set for Two Games vs. the Blue Jays
3/4/2021 7:02:30 PM | Women's Lacrosse
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The No. 24 Ohio State women’s lacrosse team will host Johns Hopkins in two Big Ten games this weekend. The Buckeyes (1-2, 1-2 B1G) and Blue Jays (0-3, 0-3 B1G) will meet at 4 p.m. Friday and noon Sunday in Ohio Stadium. The games will be streamed through BTN Plus, with live scoring available. There is no admission for the general public.
Ohio State vs. Johns Hopkins
Friday, 4 p.m. – BTN Plus | Live Scoring
Sunday, Noon – BTN Plus | Live Scoring
Game Hair Havoc
The game Sunday is part of the Buckeyes’ participation in the Game Hair Havoc campaign. Now in its third year, it is a way for women’s lacrosse teams across the country to compete against each other while helping families who are fighting cancer. It is an online fundraising campaign, running Feb. 22-April 4, that encourages women’s lacrosse players and teams to braid and style their game day hair to raise awareness and funds for the HEADstrong Foundation and families affected by cancer.
Fans are invited to donate to the Buckeyes’ campaign online at go.osu.edu/gamehairhavoc2021.
Last Time Out
- Ohio State dropped two close games at Rutgers last weekend, falling 12-9 and 10-9.
- Nicole Ferrara led the Buckeyes with six points, including four goals, in the two games combined against the Scarlet Knights. Ashley Turner had a team-best five goals and Liza Hernandez had four goals and an assist for five points. Hernandez and Jillian Rizzo, who had 23 saves in the two games combined, each had a team-high five groundballs. Kelsey Reed had five draw controls and Hernandez led the team with three caused turnovers.
- Johns Hopkins lost twice at home to Northwestern (17-8, 18-9).
In the Rankings
- This week, the Buckeyes are No. 20 in the IL Women poll and No. 24 in the IWLCA rankings.
- In all, six Big Ten teams are in the IWLCA poll – No. 3 Northwestern, No. 7 Penn State, No. 9 Maryland, No. 14 (t) Rutgers, No. 21 Michigan and No. 24 Ohio State.
- The IL Women list features six B1G teams – along with Ohio State, Northwestern is No. 3, Penn State No. 5, Maryland No. 7 and Rutgers No. 14, with Michigan receiving votes.
- The US Lacrosse Magazine poll has Northwestern No. 4, Penn State No. 9, Maryland No. 10 and Rutgers No. 18.
- Last week was the first time Ohio State was been in the national Top 25 since late in 2016.
In the Record Book
- Jillian Rizzo, the Buckeyes’ all-time saves leader (699) has started 61 of 62 games over her Buckeye career. She is first among active NCAA goalies with 11.19 saves per game and in total career saves, including 13 last Friday and 10 last Sunday, and third nationally with 3.02 groundballs per game over her career, ranking first with 187 career ground balls.
- Rizzo is second all-time in program history in groundballs, with the leader Regina Oliver, who had 236 from 2002-05.
- Liza Hernandez has 113 goals and 49 assists for 162 points in her Ohio State career, tying Cian Dabrowski for 10th in program history in scoring. Her 113 goals are tied with Baley Parrott for ninth all-time and she is tied with Mara Simpson for 10th in assists. Hernandez has 96 draw controls to rank ninth in school history.
Buckeye Notes to Know
- Liza Hernandez leads the Buckeyes with 14 goals and 16 points this year and Nicole Ferrara is first with three assists. Kelsey Reed has a team-best 10 groundballs and six caused turnovers. Hernandez is first with 16 draw controls, followed by Reed with 13.
- Nicole Ferrara had two goals and two assists last Sunday at Rutgers. It tied her career best, first set March 7, 2020 at Marquette. It was her third career two-assist game and she has back-to-back two-goal games, with four goals, three assists and seven points on the year.
- Ashley Turner had her second career hat trick and first since Feb. 7, 2020 vs. Duquesne in the second game at Rutgers. She has at least one goal in each game this season and has seven on the year. She had 10 goals and 17 points as a freshman in eight games a season ago.
- Graduate transfer MK Bonanni had three ground balls and two caused turnovers in the second game against the Scarlet Knights. A starter in the first four games, she has five ground balls and four caused turnovers this season.
- Senior Lindsay Epstein had two assists in the second games against Rutgers. It was her second career multiple-assist game and first since three against San Diego State March 24, 2019.
- Junior Chloe Johnson scored twice last Friday at Rutgers, her fourth career multi-goal outing and first of the season.
Buckeyes vs. Blue Jays
- The Buckeyes are 6-12 all-time against Johns Hopkins, with three losses in Big Ten games.
- The teams last met April 13, 2019, a 12-7 Blue Jay win in Columbus.
Up Next
- The Buckeyes will head to Maryland for a Thursday/Saturday series. The teams will meet at 4 p.m. March 18 and at noon March 20, with both games streamed through BTN Plus.
- The squad will return home for games vs. Penn State March 26 and March 28.
