Senior Night in The Shoe as No. 19 Buckeyes Host No. 2 Wildcats
4/7/2021 12:07:54 PM | Women's Lacrosse
Watch: BTN TV & Fox Sports app | Live Scoring | OSU PDF Game Notes
The Basics
- The No. 19 Ohio State women’s lacrosse team closes its home slate against No. 2 Northwestern Thursday night.
- The Buckeyes (3-7) and Wildcats (9-0) will meet at 7 p.m. in Ohio Stadium.
- The game will be televised by BTN and available on the Fox Sports app. Live scoring will be available.
- Seven Buckeye seniors – Jillian Rizzo, Liza Hernandez, Hannah Brink, Regina Doty, Kelsey Reed, Emily Skrzypczak and MK Bonanni – will be recognized pregame, with the ceremony to start about 6:25 p.m.
Attendance Update
- For the first time this season, the general public will have the opportunity to cheer on the Buckeyes in person.
- On game night, fans can walk up to Ohio Stadium and receive a digital ticket with an assigned seat until capacity is reached.
- Guests should park on the east side of the stadium and enter at Gate 14. Parking is free and there is no tailgating.
- Face masks and social distancing are required for all fans.
Last Time Out
- Ohio State is coming off a bye weekend. The team last played March 26 and 28, posting 15-12 and 11-9 wins over Penn State in Columbus.
- In the first game, Nicole Ferrara, Ali Beekhuizen and Maura McGregor each had a hat trick for the Buckeyes. Ohio State jumped out to a 5-1 lead and had an 11-6 advantage at halftime. PSU fought back and drew within one with 4:25 remaining but Chloe Johnson and Liza Hernandez answered with two quick goals to seal the win.
- In the second game, Ohio State overcame a 5-4 halftime deficit for the win. The Buckeyes used a six-goal run to tie the game and take the lead, with a 9-5 advantage with 16:18 left. Penn State cut the lead to one twice in the last 7:25 but Ohio State responded both times. Jillian Rizzo had 10 saves for OSU, with Lindsay Epstein leading the way offensively with four points (2g, 2a). The Buckeyes won 19 of 22 draws, led by Chloe Johnson with 12.
- Northwestern last played March 27 and 29, with 25-12 and 20-10 home wins over Maryland.
In the Record Book
- Jillian Rizzo, the Buckeyes’ all-time saves leader (758), has started 67 of 68 games over her Buckeye career and has appeared in all 68. She is first among active NCAA goalies with 11.07 saves per game and in total career saves, and fourth nationally with 2.94 ground balls per game over her career, ranking first with 200 career ground balls.
- Rizzo is second all-time in Ohio State history in ground balls, with the leader Regina Oliver, who had 236 from 2002-05.
- Liza Hernandez has 125 goals and 50 assists for 175 points in her Ohio State career. Hernandez is tied with Regina Oliver (2002-05) in seventh in goals. Her 175 points rank eighth all-time, six behind Katie Chase (2012-15). Hernandez is tied with Laurie Rybak (1996-99) and Rainey Hodgson (2013-16) for eighth in assists, one back of Celeste Cianfrani (1998-01). Hernandez has 100 draw controls to rank eighth in school history.
- Riley Ewing has 117 draw controls, tying Baley Parrott (2016-19) for sixth in school history. Oliver is fifth among Buckeyes with 121.
Buckeyes vs. Wildcats
- Ohio State and Northwestern met in Evanston, Ill., to open the 2021 season Feb. 14, a 23-7 Wildcat win.
- The last game between the squads in Columbus was a 17-12 Wildcat victory April 25, 2019.
- Northwestern is 9-0 this season and has clinched a share of the Big Ten title and the No. 1 seed in the upcoming Big Ten tournament.
- The Wildcats lead the country in scoring offense (20.78) and are 23rd in scoring defense (9.89). Izzy Scane is first in the NCAA with 70 points (56g, 14a) and 7.78 points per game.
Stats Stuff
- Ohio State is scoring 10.00 goals a game, allowing 12.50 per contest. The Buckeyes have 25.5 shots on goal a game, with opponents taking 30.1.
- Liza Hernandez leads the Buckeyes with 26 goals and 29 points and Ashley Turner is first with nine assists.
- Nicole Ferrara is second with 14 goals, followed by Turner with 12 and Lindsay Epstein with 10.
- Turner has a team-best nine assists and is second with 21 points, followed by Ferrara (6a, 20p) in both categories.
- Jillian Rizzo and Caly O’Brien have a team-best 18 ground balls, with MK Bonanni, who is first with 11 caused turnovers, third with 17.
- Hernandez has a Buckeye-best 32 draw controls, with Chloe Johnson second with 28.
- Rizzo leads the Big Ten in saves (97) and save percentage (.449).
Buckeye This and That
- Liza Hernandez, the Buckeyes’ leading scorer with 26 goals and 28 points, is on the Tewaaraton Award Watch List. The graduate student has been held scoreless just once, with multiple points in eight of 10 games.
- Jillian Rizzo was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week after 19 saves vs. Penn State. She has nine or more saves in eight of 10 games this year.
- Liza Hernandez is on team-best five-game goal and point streaks (12g, 1a, 13p). Ali Beekhuizen is on four-game goal and point streaks (6g, 1a, 7p).
- Nicole Ferrara had a team-best five goals in the two games vs. Penn State combined. She had a hat trick and an assist in the opener, her first hat trick of the season after four two-goal games. She had a career-high four goals March 7, 2020 at Marquette.
- Chloe Johnson had 12 draw controls in the second game against Penn State, the most for a Buckeye since 2016. She had a then-career high seven in the opener vs. PSU.
- Johnson had her first career two-assist game and added a goal in the first game vs. the Nittany Lions.
- Caly O’Brien is tied for first on the team with 18 ground balls. She had seven vs. the Nittany Lions, with a season-high tying four in the second game.
- Lindsay Epstein had her first career four-point game with two goals and two assists in the second game against Penn State.
- Sophie Baez had four points in the two games vs. Penn State, with a goal and an assist in game one and season-high two goals in the second game.
- MK Bonanni has at least one caused turnover in nine of 10 games this year.
- Maura McGregor had her second career hat trick, and first since Feb. 19, 2020 vs. Cincinnati, March 26 vs. Penn State. She entered the game with one goal on the year.
- Jamie Level had two ground balls, two draw controls and an Ohio State career-high three caused turnovers in game one vs. Penn State.
- Ashley Turner had three points in each game vs. the Nittany Lions and has multiple points in seven games this year, with a point in all but one outing (March 7 vs. JHU). Her team-best nine assists have all come in the last six games.
Up Next
- Ohio State is scheduled to play its final regular season game April 16 at Michigan in Ann Arbor.
- Penn State will host the Big Ten Tournament April 29, April 30 and May 2 in State College, Pa.
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