No. 19 Ohio State Drops First of the Season to No. 21 USC

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Nationally ranked USC came into Columbus for the first time, built an early, multi-goal lead and went on to defeat the previously undefeated Ohio State women's lacrosse team, 9-8, Sunday afternoon at Ohio State Lacrosse Stadium.

No. 19 Ohio State had its program record eight-game winning streak and best start to the season end with the defeat. The Buckeyes are now 8-1 overall and 1-1 in the Big Ten. The win was No. 21 USC's first as a Big Ten Conference member institution and improved its records to 8-3 overall and 1-2 in the Big Ten.

USC scored first and then never trailed in the contest, building its largest lead of four goals in the second quarter and then never letting the Buckeyes start a run of scores. The closest Ohio State got in the second half was within one two times, the last with 2:23 left to play, 9-8.

Statistically, USC led in shots, 37-20, and shots on goal, 24-16, and also held a 16-5 advantage in draw controls. Kampbell Stone led the way for Ohio State with two goals and an assist and Leah Sax had a goal and two assists. Goalie Jocelyn Torres made a career-high 15 saves for the Buckeyes.

Maddie Dora had three goals for USC, giving her 46 on the season.

The early deficit on the scoreboard and the ensuing lead for USC throughout the game represented only the second time Ohio State had trailed in a game this season. The first came against Cincinnati, with the Bearcats holding a 9-8 lead late in a game the Buckeyes would come back and win in overtime, 10-9.

How it Happened

USC led 2-0 early in the contest and 4-1 at the end of the first quarter. Ohio State's Kampbell Stone scored her 20th goal of the season with 5:02 to play in the first to cut the lead to 2-1, but the Trojans kept the pressure on and responded with goals with 3:36 left in the quarter and again with :13 remaining.
Four minutes into the second quarter, USC struck again for a 5-1 lead.
A goal bv Annie Hargraves, her 11th of the season, with Brynn Ammerman registering her 29th assist, inched the Buckeyes to within 5-2 with just over 7 minutes to play in the second quarter.
The Trojans struck back, though, scoring at the 4:08 mark to regain a four-goal cushion at 6-2.
Ohio State scored with just two seconds left in the quarter, Zoe Coleman's 18th goal of the season off an assist from Leah Sax, to go into the break trailing by three, 6-3.
A goal 3:30 into the third quarter by Maddie Barhorst, with Sax on the assist, got Ohio State to as close as it had been since early in the contest at 6-4.
A USC goal at the 5:17 mark extended the Trojans' lead back to three at 7-4.
Another late goal by Ohio State, Sax's 14th of the season with 1:03 to play in the third, narrowed the lead to 7-5, but 40 seconds later USC countered to go back up by three at 8-5.
A sixth different goal scorer for the Buckeyes, Maddy Paz, tallied a free position goal with 9:40 left in the fourth quarter to bring Ohio State to within two for a third time at 8-6.
Just over four minutes later Hargraves scored her second goal of the game to the delight of the home crowd, bringing the Buckeyes to within one, 8-7.
A free position goal with a player advantage gave USC a 9-7 lead.
Back came the Buckeyes. Stone's second goal of the game and 21st of the season came off a free position and brought the Buckeyes to within one at 9-8.
Goalie Jocelyn Torres made a huge save with :54 left to play to give Ohio State possession and a chance to tie, but a shot with :08 remaining was high and the clock ran out on the Buckeyes.

Up Next
Ohio State hosts No. 11 Michigan Thursday at Ohio State Lacrosse Stadium in a 6 p.m. game that will be televised by BTN. The Buckeyes will wrap up the week with a 1 p.m. game at Rutgers next Sunday (March 30).

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