Rutgers men's lacrosse loses 5 game win streak with defeat to Ohio State
The Rutgers men’s lacrosse team had its five-game win streak snapped on Sunday in an 11-7 loss against Ohio State. The contest marked the first game of Big Ten play for the Scarlet Knights (7-2, 0-1) and the Buckeyes (5-4, 1-0).
No. 6 Rutgers started off its three-game road trip with a victory over UMass, but now falls to an even 1-1 on the current road trip after the loss to No. 19 Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio.
The Buckeyes struck first, scoring in the first 2 minutes. The Knights would quickly respond when junior midfielder Jack Aimone found senior attacker and midfielder Eric Civetti for the equalizer.
The two teams went back and forth briefly as the game was tied 2-2 with 6:25 to go in the first period. The even scoring did not last long, though, as Ohio State went on a 5-0 scoring run into halftime. The Buckeyes were helped in part by Colby Smith, who scored 3 of the 5 goals during the run.
Skylar Wahlund looked strong in goal for Ohio State, making eight saves in the first half.
Despite the 5-goal lead, the Buckeyes led Rutgers just 11-10 in shots on goal at the half. The biggest discrepancy was Ohio State’s four more saves than the Knights in the first half.
The scoring drought that began in the first period finally ended for Rutgers when junior midfielder Shane Knobloch found the back of the net on an unassisted goal with 10:47 to go in the third period. The Knights' positive momentum was quickly shut down, though, when Ohio State scored just 5 seconds later.
Rutgers managed to cut its deficit to 3 goals with 9:04 to go in the third period after scores from Aimone and senior midfielder Noah Daniels, but the Buckeyes were able to get the lead right back to 5 goals, and the game entered the fourth period with Ohio State leading 10-5.
The final period saw just 3 total goals with 2 goals from the Knights and 1 goal from the Buckeyes, as Ohio State closed out the 4-goal victory.
Though Rutgers finished the game with a 24-18 lead in terms of shots on goal, Wahlund’s 17 saves helped the Buckeyes reach victory.
Civetti and Daniels led the Knights with 2 goals apiece. Senior attacker Ross Scott, who averages just shy of 3 goals per game, was held scoreless despite his eight shots on goal.
Rutgers will now travel to Baltimore to take on Johns Hopkins. The matchup will conclude the Knights' three-game road trip. The matchup will take place on Saturday at 3 p.m. and will be broadcasted on ESPNU.
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