April 22, 2017
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State men’s lacrosse is now 12-2 this year, with a 3-1 ledger in Big Ten play, after defeating No. 2-ranked Maryland, 11-10 in overtime, Saturday in Ohio Stadium. The Buckeyes trailed 7-2 late in the second quarter but went on a six-goal run, while holding Maryland scoreless for more than 23 minutes, to push ahead late in the third. The teams were tied twice in the fourth quarter, with Maryland scoring the final two goals, but the Buckeyes prevailed in overtime.
On the Scoresheet
Buckeye senior Eric Fannell had a game-high and career-best five goals, while classmate Johnny Pearson scored twice, including the overtime winner. Senior Jake Withers won 18-of-25 faceoffs and picked up a game-high 10 groundballs, with junior Freddy Freibott picking up eight groundballs. Senior Tom Carey made 10 saves in the Buckeye cage. Seniors John Kelly, Tyler Pfister and JT Blubaugh also scored, with Kelly picking up an assist.
Next Up – Regular Season Finale and Big Ten Tournament
The Buckeyes will end the regular season with a game at Rutgers at noon Saturday in Piscataway, N.J.
Ohio State clinched a spot in the Big Ten Tournament with the win over Maryland. The Buckeyes will host the tourney May 4 and 6 in Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium in Columbus.
Quoting Head Coach Nick Myers
“Our seniors were incredible. They stepped up and made plays you expect seniors to make. Down three at half, we felt like coming in the third quarter it was all about us. We settled down and played much cleaner in the box and really felt like that was the key.”
Coach Myers, Blubaugh and Fannell talked after the OT victory in The Shoe. https://t.co/3h2pfCHkVc #GoBucks
— Ohio State Men’s LAX (@OhioState_MLAX) April 22, 2017
In the First Half
The teams traded early goals, with the Terps scoring at 11:38 and Blubaugh tallying for the Buckeyes at 9:59. Maryland then went on a five-goal run, with three in the first quarter at 5:20, 4:09 and 2:31 for a 4-1 lead after 15 minutes.
The Terrapins scored the first two goals of the second quarter to push the lead to 6-1 at 10:26. Fannell ended the run at 7:59 for a 6-2 game. Maryland tallied at 3:26 for a 7-2 advantage. Ohio State notched the final two goals before halftime, with Fannell scoring at 2:53 and Kelly tallying at 1:26. Maryland led 7-4 at halftime. Carey had five saves in the first half for the Buckeyes, with Maryland outshooting the Buckeyes, 18-10, including 9-2 in the first quarter.
In the Third Quarter
The Buckeyes scored the only four goals of the third quarter and outshot the Terps, 9-6, with Carey making four stops in the Ohio State cage.
Fannell scored back-to-back goals at 9:50 and 8:57 to cut the Maryland lead to two (7-5). His second goal came in transition and was set up by defenseman Ben Randall. Randall assisted on a second consecutive goal at 5:01, finding freshman Jeff Henrick to tie the game at seven. Pfister gave the Buckeyes their first lead of the game with a goal with 1:26 left in the quarter.
In the Fourth Quarter
Maryland ended its scoreless streak at 23:10 with the first goal of the fourth quarter, deadlocking the score at eight. Ohio State scored the next two to push ahead, 10-8. Fannell notched his second of the day at 7:21 before Kelly found Pearson for a goal at 6:06. Maryland responded with a goal 40 seconds later to draw within one and tied the game at 2:58.
The Buckeyes won the next faceoff but Maryland made a save on the possession and was able to clear. The timer was put on Maryland with 55 seconds remaining and Maryland shot the ball wide with the shot clock running down. Ohio State cleared and had the last two shots, but put one wide and Maryland’s goalie made a save, sending the game to overtime.
Shots were 8-7 in favor of Maryland in the quarter and UMD’s goalie made three saves.
In Overtime
Withers won the faceoff to open overtime, giving the Buckeyes possession. Fannell took a shot that hit the post. Pearson picked up the groundball and scored for the Buckeye victory at 2:57.
Shots and Saves
The Buckeyes were outshot, 32-28, in the game. Carey had 10 saves for the Buckeyes (five in each half), his fifth game with 10 or more stops this season (and fourth in the last six games). He has a 7.35 goals-against average and .566 save percentage this season, ranking among the NCAA’s best.
Maryland’s goalie made six stops in the contest, with three in each half.
Faceoffs and Groundballs
Withers won 18-of-25 faceoffs in the game, his third straight game with 18 or more wins and 12th with double-digit victories this season. He had 10 groundballs (also a third straight game with 10 or more). He has a team-high 101 groundballs this year and has won 182-of-265 facoffs this season (.687).
Ohio State won the groundball battle, 35-24. Freibott had a career-high eight for the Buckeyes, while Carey picked up four and Randall had three.
Noting the Buckeyes
• Ohio State is 8-0 at home this season, with two wins over Top 2 ranked teams.
• Ohio State is holding opponents to 7.64 goals a game on the year. Maryland entered the game averaging 13.45 goals per game and was held to less than 12 goals for just the second time this season.
• Fannell has nine goals and 11 points in his last two games combined. He leads the Buckeyes with 20 assists and 44 points this season and is second with 24 goals. The five goals vs. Maryland marked a career high (one week after setting the mark with four at Michigan).
• Pearson is third on the team with 20 goals and fourth with 25 points. It was his third straight two-goal game and his seventh multiple-goal game of the year.
