No. 19 Denver Downs No. 15 Ohio State, 17-12

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The 15th-ranked Ohio State men’s lacrosse team fought back from a six-goal halftime deficit but ultimately dropped a 17-12 decision at No. 19 Denver on Sunday. With the setback, the Buckeyes are 4-4 on the season while Denver improves to 4-3.

The Short Story
Colby Smith scored four times and Kyle Bora added three goals. The Buckeyes fell behind 10-4 at the half and 12-4 early in the third quarter, but scored six of the next seven goals to pull to within three, 13-10, shortly before the end of the quarter.

That’s as close as they’d get, however, as Denver finished the third quarter by scoring with four seconds remaining and then scored the first three in the fourth to grab a 17-10 lead.

How the Goals Were Scored

• Denver led 3-1 after the first 15 minutes thanks to three JJ Stillstrop goals. Smith netted the first of his four tallies at the 7:39 mark of the quarter.
• Two quick Denver goals in the second quarter made the score 5-1 in favor of the Pioneers, but the Buckeyes responded with a 2-0 scoring run on a Dillon Magee’s first and Colby Smith’s second scores of the day.
• The Pioneers scored five of the final six goals in the second quarter to build a 10-4 advantage at halftime. Ryan Giles and Stephen Avery had two goals each in that run.
• A pair of even-strength goals by Denver one minute a part at the beginning of the third quarter gave DU its largest lead at 12-4. From there, though, Smith began a 4-0 Ohio State scoring run that included tallies from Scott White and Borda.
• Fourth quarter Ohio State goals were scored by Borda, who completed his hat trick, and senior Jack Myers.

Statistically Speaking

Shots: Denver 38, Ohio State 37
Saves: Ohio State (Wahlund) 11, Denver (Kleban) 8
Ground Balls: Denver 30, Ohio State 26
Faceoffs: Denver 20-of-33, Ohio State 13-of-33
Clears: Ohio State 16-of-20, Denver 14-of-14
Extra Man: Ohio State 2-for-3, Denver 2-for-4
Turnovers: Ohio State 15, Denver 13
Ohio State Scoring: Smith 4-0-0; Borda 3-0-0; Caputo 2-1-3; Myers 1-1-2; White 1-1-2; Magee 1-1-2; Eiland 0-1-1; Sherrer 0-1-1

What’s Next
Conference play opens next Sunday evening for Ohio State as the Buckeyes host No. 6 Rutgers at the Ohio State Lacrosse Stadium. Opening faceoff is set for 7 p.m. and the game will be televised live on BTN.

Home Game Tickets
To purchase tickets and/or for more information on Ohio State men’s lacrosse tickets, click HERE. For information on group tickets and experiences, contact the Ohio State Athletic Ticket Sales Team at 1-800-GOBUCKS or email Athletic.tix@osu.edu to speak with an account executive.