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OSU lax goes to next level
By UWeekly Staff Reports
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Goalie Stefan Schroder embodied the whole spirit of the OSU Lacrosse team in one early moment Saturday in Ithaca, N.Y. He and the Buckeyes looked as if they knew exactly what they were doing.
Shroder sparked the Buckeyes to the first postseason in program history — making up for two previous one-and-done appearances in 2003 and 2004 — when he sliced through the Cornell defense with a first of his own.
After making a save, he brought the ball upfield and deked the goalie at 11:32, knocking in his first career goal, and taking the spirits of the home team down a peg before they realized it.
From there, OSU rolled. Shroder held down the net (9 saves) while his teammates torched the opposing end. With the Buckeyes two men down, the Buckeyes forced a turnover in their zone. Buchanan led senior Chris Friel with a pass through the Cornell zone, who scored the Buckeyes’ second man-down goal of the year. Joel Dalgarno scored an unassisted man-up goal at 8:42, and then set up Jeff Ryan for a tally at 6:25, followed by a goal from junior Peet Poillon at 2:33.
“Stefan Schroder really ignited the entire team, not only offensively, but certainly defensively,” said coach Joe Breschi. “I’m so proud of the team. It was the first win in the history of the program in the NCAA tourney. There couldn’t be a better group of guys to lead us than this senior class. They’ve fought for four years to get to the NCAA tournament and they certainly made the most of it today.”
The Buckeyes now advance to the quarterfinals of the 2008 NCAA Championship with a 15-7 win over No. 8-seed Cornell Saturday in Ithaca, N.Y. Ohio State will return to New York this weekend to take on top-seeded Duke in the quarterfinals. The Buckeyes are currently 11-5 on the year.
The Buckeyes jumped out to a 5-1 lead at the end of the first quarter and extended the lead to 11-2 at halftime. The lead reached 10 four times in the second half, with Cornell scoring twice late for the 15-8 final. As a team, Ohio State scored its 15 goals on just 29 shots (.517), including 11 goals on 15 shots in the first half.
Dalgarno had two goals and two assists for a team-best four points. Poillon had a hat trick in the win and senior Kevin Buchanan had three points on two goals and an assist. Sophomore James Green and Friel each chipped in two goals. A different player scored each of the team’s first nine goals and four defensive players combined for five goals in the victory.
Game Notes
• Ohio State goalies scored back-to-back goals in the NCAA tournament, four years apart. Tony Russo scored the Buckeyes’ final goal vs. North Carolina in the first-round game in 2004 and Schroder opened the scoring vs. Cornell Saturday.
• No. 1 Duke, Ohio State’s next opponent, beat Loyola at home, 12-7, in the opening round Saturday.
• Dalgarno has a team-best 34 assists and 73 points. His 73 points rank fourth in program history for a single season, while his 34 assists are tied for fourth with Jon Ewert (1985). He has 92 goals, 72 assists and 164 points for the Scarlet and Gray to rank fourth in program history in points and seventh in career assists.
• Buchanan is second on the team with 72 points, ranking fifth (tied) in program history (Bill Rodgers/1981). He is first on the team with 42 goals, ranking seventh in OSU history in a single season. He ranks second in program history with 171 career points (95g, 76a), behind only Terry Gilmore, who had 250 points (123g, 127a) from 1976-79. He is fourth in the record book for career assists and tied for 10th in career goals (Tim McCabe/1986-89). Buchanan is on a 45-game scoring streak (91-72-163), has multiple points in each of his last 28 games and is on a 25-game goal-scoring streak.
• On defense, the team has held its opponents to nine goals or less in 12-of-16 games this season.
• Lathrop’s goal was his first of the season. He also has two assists as a rookie this season.
• Friel had his second two-goal game this year, matching his career best first set at Notre Dame April 27. He has a career-best five goals and points this season.
• Pages has a career-high four goals and six points this season.
• Poillon had his fifth hat trick of the year. He is third on the team with 30 goals and fourth with 36 points.
• The Buckeyes have scored 11 or more goals in 12 of the last 13 games. The team entered the weekend third in the NCAA in scoring offense.
• Ryan now has 24 goals and is third on the team with a career-high tying 37 points.
• Keith Lovett had a career-high five groundballs in the game.
Originally Published: May 14, 2008
