No. 10 Buckeyes Open 2026 Season vs. Detroit Mercy Sunday

No. 10 Ohio State vs. Detroit Mercy
Date: Sunday, Feb. 1
Time: 2 p.m.
Venue: Woody Hayes Athletic Center
Live Stats: OhioStateBuckeyes.com
Watch: B1G+
Rosters: Ohio State | Detroit Mercy

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The 77th season of Ohio State men's lacrosse starts this weekend in Columbus as the No. 10 Buckeyes host Detroit Mercy Sunday, Feb. 1. First faceoff is set for 2 p.m. inside the Woody Hayes Athletic Center.

The game will also be streamed on B1G+ (subscription required). Live stats are available on OhioStateBuckeyes.com.

Buckeyes In a Nutshell

Sunday's game was moved indoors because of forecasted extreme low temperatures in the Columbus area this weekend. The Buckeyes' season-opener will be held indoors for the first time since 2022. The team is 27-0 all-time inside the Woody Hayes Athletic Center since 2009.
Ohio State returns 26 players from the 2025 season, including five All-Americans and six starters. The team welcomed 22 newcomers to the 2026 roster in 16 freshmen and six transfers.
The Buckeyes are captained by senior defenseman Cullen Brown, senior short stick defensive midfielder Blake Eiland, graduate defenseman Taji Flynn, graduate attacker Alex Marinier and graduate defenseman Bobby Van Buren. This season marks the first time since 2011 that Ohio State will have five captains. Van Buren is in his second season as captain after earning the honor last year.
Ohio State's defense returns all three starters at close defense in Brown, Van Buren and junior Kyle Foster and junior goalie Caleb Fyock. Van Buren and Fyock were named the USILA players of the year in their respective positions in 2025. Eiland also returns from the Buckeyes' top line of starting short stick defensive midfielders from last season. The Buckeye defense was top 10 in the country in 2025 with a 9.12 goals-against average.
Fyock was named preseason goalie of the year by USA Lacrosse Magazine. The Bowie, Md. native looks to improve upon his sophomore campaign during which he finished first in the country with a .612 save percentage and third with a 8.08 goals-against average.
On attack, the team's leading scorers from last season in Marinier and junior Garrett Haas are back. Marinier became just the third Buckeye to score 50 goals in a season last year and finished the season with 52 points. Haas recorded 46 points on 29 goals and 17 assists in 2025. Ohio State has a new offensive coordinator this season in assistant coach James Purpura, who joined the coaching staff last summer.
Ohio State has six players who earned preseason All-American honors. Fyock and Van Buren earned First Team honors by Inside Lacrosse, USA Lacrosse Magazine and the USILA. Brown and Eiland were also named to all three lists, with Eiland earning Third Team honors and Brown a Second Team and two-time Third Team honoree. Marinier was tabbed an honorable mention All-American by Inside Lacrosse and USA Lacrosse Magazine and Brad Sharp was an honorable mention selection by IL.
Fyock, Marinier and Van Buren were named to the Big Ten's Players to Watch list for 2026.
Ohio State was picked 10th in the preseason polls by the USILA and Inside Lacrosse and 11th by USA Lacrosse Magazine. The team was picked third in the Big Ten's preseason coaches' poll.
Head coach Nick Myers begins his 18th season leading the Scarlet and Gray. In his Ohio State career, he has led the team to a 145-110 record. He is assisted by associate head coach Travis Crane and assistant coaches James Purpura and Justin Tuma.

History vs. Detroit Mercy

Ohio State is 13-1 all-time against Detroit Mercy.
The Buckeyes are 6-1 against the Titans when meeting in the first game of the season.
Sunday's matchup is the 13th between the teams in Columbus and 10th in the WHAC. Ohio State is 12-0 against the Titans at home.

The 2026 Home Slate

Ohio State hosts nine games in Columbus and eight at Ohio State Lacrosse Stadium in the 2026 season.
The team is home for the first three games of the season including Sunday's season opener vs. the Titans, followed by games against Cleveland State (Feb. 7) and Bellarmine (Feb. 10). The non-conference home slate continues against High Point (Feb. 21), Notre Dame (March 7) and Denver (March 12).
The Buckeyes host three of their five Big Ten Conference games this season in Penn State (March 28), Johns Hopkins (April 11) and Michigan (April 17).
Single game tickets can be purchased online HERE or by calling the Athletic Ticket Sales Office at 1-800-GOBUCKS.

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