No. 19 Buckeyes Fall to No. 2 Wildcats
4/8/2021 11:11:42 PM | Women's Lacrosse
COLUMBUS, Ohio – On a rainy Senior Night in Ohio Stadium, the No. 19 Ohio State women’s lacrosse team lost to No. 2 Northwestern, 21-14, Thursday in a Big Ten Conference game. The Buckeyes (3-8) led 9-8 at halftime, overcoming a four-goal first-half deficit, but the undefeated Wildcats (10-0) scored nine of the first 10 goals in the second half to regain the lead and closed out the win.
The Buckeyes will end the regular season with a game at Michigan April 16 in Ann Arbor.
The Short Story
Northwestern scored five of the game’s first six goals for a 5-1 lead with 18:53 left in the first half. The teams traded goals and Ohio State cut the lead to two three times, eventually trailing 7-5 at 11:36. After a Wildcat tally at 9:11 for an 8-5 game, the Buckeyes scored the next four to tie the game and take the lead, with a 9-8 advantage at halftime.
The Buckeyes scored the first goal of the second half to stretch their run to five and lead 10-8, but Northwestern took over and scored the next nine and led 17-10 with 16:50 left in the second half. Ohio State scored twice in a 21 second span for a 17-12 game with 15:03 remaining. The Wildcats outscored the Buckeyes 4-2 the rest of the way for the 21-14 final.
Nicole Ferrara led the Buckeyes with a career-high six goals, Liza Hernandez had four goals and an assist for five points and Jamie Lasda had two assists. Caly O’Brien notched her first goal of the season and four ground balls and Kelsey Reed tallied and picked up four loose balls. Chloe Johnson had a team-best five draw controls and Jillian Rizzo made 11 saves for the Buckeyes. O’Brien and MK Bonanni both had three caused turnovers.
Seven Buckeye seniors – Hannah Brink, Bonanni, Regina Doty, Hernandez, Reed, Rizzo and Emily Skrzypczak – were recognized pregame.
Northwestern 21, Ohio State 14
- Northwestern’s Izzy Scane scored at 28:33 and 26:10 before Liza Hernandez put Ohio State on the board with a goal assisted by Maura McGregor at 21:49.
- Scane answered with two more (at 20:19 and 19:54) and the Wildcats’ Erin Coykendall tallied at 18:53 to put Northwestern up 5-1. Scane ended the night with eight goals and 11 points.
- Hernandez and Nicole Ferrara (set up by Sophie Baez) answered for the Buckeyes at 17:05 and 14:29 for a two-goal game (5-3).
- The teams traded goals over the next five minutes, with Baez and Hernandez scoring for the Buckeyes, and the Wildcats led 8-5 with 9:11 left in the first half.
- Ohio State went on a four-goal run in a 3:18 span, tying the game and moving ahead.
- Caly O’Brien scored her first goal of the year on a rebound at 7:43. Less than a minute later freshman Jamie Lasda set up Ferrara for a one-goal game.
- At 4:57 Buckeye Ali Beekhuizen tied the game when she converted a free position shot and Ferarra scored a highlight reel behind the back goal with 4:25 left in the first half, assisted by Lindsay Epstein, for a 9-8 Ohio State advantage.
- Ferrara notched the first goal of the second half at 27:52, as Hernandez forced a turnover and found her for a fast break goal and 10-8 Ohio State lead.
- Northwestern scored twice in the next 1:09 to tie the game at 10 and took the lead on a Lauren Gilbert goal at 24:34. In all, the Wildcat goal run stretched to nine for a 17-10 lead with 16:50 left.
- Ferrara, on a free position shot, and Hernandez tallied for the Buckeyes in a 21-second span for a 17-12 game.
- The Wildcats’ Sammy Mueller scored the next two to push the lead to 19-12 at 12:18.
- Kelsey Reed scored on a free position shot for the Buckeyes at 9:14 and after two Wildcat goals, Ferrara notched the last goal of the game, as she scored her sixth of the night at 3:20.
Stats Synopsis
- Northwestern outshot the Buckeyes, 42-29, and had the edge in ground balls, 32-21.
- Jillian Rizzo made 11 saves for Ohio State and two Wildcat goalies combined for five stops.
- Ohio State was ahead in draw controls in the first half, 11-7, but Northwestern won 14-of-19 in the second half.
- The Buckeyes were 21-for-30 on clear attempts and the Wildcats were 18-for-22.
- Ohio State had 24 turnovers and the Wildcats turned the ball over 22 times. Ohio State had 11 caused turnovers and the Wildcats had 20.
Buckeye This and That
- Ferrara’s six goals were a career high, besting the four she had at Marquette March 7, 2020. The six points were also a career best after three four-point days. She is second on the team with 20 goals and 26 points.
- Hernandez had her 10th game with five or more points. She has a team-best 30 goals and 34 assists. She moved into sixth in program history with 129 goals and into a tie for seventh all-time in assists with 51. She is eighth in school history with 180 career points.
- Rizzo has nine or more saves in eight games this year.
- The three caused turnovers were a career best for Bonanni.
Book it, #SCTop10 https://t.co/oc2ANkkY8w
— Brutus Buckeye (@Brutus_Buckeye) April 9, 2021
