Now that the dust has settled, we can take a look back at the 2018 lacrosse season, wincing at the missed opportunities and celebrating the good moments.
And yes, there were some good moments, despute the struggles. I had many complaints and criticisms, but let's start off with some things the Buckeye lacrosse team got right in 2018.
1. Adjustments.
I won't step on my own toes with the bad right here, but this coaching staff did an excellent job of developing the talent they had on hand and changing what needed to be changed. To start the season, Justin Inacio and Christian Feliziani split time at FOGO, with Feliziani taking the lion's share.
By season's end, Inacio was maybe the most effective FOGO in the entire game, dominating the faceoff X against the likes of Maryland, Johns Hopkins, and Rutgers after struggling to start the year.
Inacio did a great job improving his hand speed, winning clamps, and battling for groundballs. He can work on his exits a bit more, but that's nitpicking. Inacio was a superior FOGO at the end of his freshman year, and will only get better.
Offensively, the staff kept looking for solutions until they got it right. For 3 games at the end of the year, with the postseason on the line, the offense gelled into a unit no one wanted to play.
It was a sight to behold, and a testament to the coaching ability of the staff. There is a reason Myers was co-coach of the year.
2. Defense
The axiom "defense wins championships" is perhaps overused and overvalued by many, but elite defenses really help in the process.
Ohio State had a championship defense pretty much from the jump this year. Part of that is a function of having 3 guys start 36 straight games together, but the close defense unit was a terror.
Good doubles, excellent instincts, and just vacuums on groundballs. The defense kept Ohio State alive all year long, and smothered the best offenses around.
It's tough to see 2 of 3 poles leave to graduation, as they've set the standard for Buckeye defense for years to come. Matt Borges returns as a senipr next year to lead this group. Hopefully we see a smooth transition.
3. Effort.
It's one thing for a team to lose due to tactics or bad breaks. It's another when the team as a whole is listless and doesn't care. This Ohio State team cared.
From Tre Leclaire running 60 yard sprints to disrupt a shooter to scrapping for a +76 groundball margin and leading the entire Big Ten in groundballs, the 2018 Buckeyes jumped off the screen when it came to effort.
This team went above and beyond to try to get a W, regardless of circumstance. And that's something we can all appreciate.
Unfortunately, as we all know, this was hardly a banner year for Buckeye lacrosse. A lot more went wrong than we would have liked, so let's dissect all the ways we were forced to shake our collective heads.
1. Efficiency.
Good lord, the efficiency. Ohio State saw a dive in efficiency year over year from 2017 to 2018 that is astounding.
In 2017, Ohio State had only 2 players who had a shot percentage (goals divided by total shots) under .300 having taken 15 or more shots. One of those players was Eric Fannell, who managed to still score 36 goals with a shot percentage of .278.
In 2018, conversely, only 2 players had a shooting percentage OVER .300 with 15 or more shots. Those players were Colin Chell and Jackson Reid.
Tre Leclaire saw his shooting percentage tumble from .389 to .271 this year. The entire offense seemed to really enjoy throwing the ball right into the crosse of the opposing goaltender.
In 6 fewer games, opposing goaltenders only had 23 fewer saves in 2018 than they did in 2017 (166 vs 189). You can't score if you're making the opposing keeper look like an All-American.
With all the effort expended to generate shots, the Buckeyes didn't convert nearly enough to be a serious threat all year long. Flashes of good offensive faded in the end, sending OSU home early.
2. Midfield/dodging.
This is a hybrid because Ohio State under Nick Myers has been a team lacking traditional positions that you see in other squads. The Buckeyes really struggled to get the feet of defenses moving.
Really only Jack Jasinski was able to beat an opposing defender on a consistent basis. And without the midfield/dodging threat, teams focused on shutting down Leclaire. Tre was always drawing a quick slide or being shadowed by an athletic pole.
I mentioned it earlier this season, but Leclaire's best position is that of sniper with his feet set. At no point was he really allowed to fulfill that role this year. Leclaire has pretty good straight-line speed, but his quickness is not elite. He doesn't have the lateral agility to be a strong creator off the dodge.
He can score off of sweeps across the top against some poles, but Hopkins and Maryland showed how talented defenders can keep him muted. A true dodging threat never really emerged, as Jasinski never managed to translate his athleticism into serious production.
For a 3 game stretch the Buckeyes used Jasinski behind the cage to force teams into an invert zone that was vulnerable, but that luck ran out against the Blue Jays in the Big Ten tournament. This HAS to be fixed for 2019.
3. Goalie.
It was a rough, rough year for the Buckeye netminders. Senior Matthew Smidt started 8 games, then was replaced due to mediocre performance.
Arguably, for a long period Josh Kirson wasn't any better. Kirson managed to put some good perfomances together at the end of the year, but it's painfully obvious that this is a job that will be very much up for grabs in the fall.
Skylar Wahlund and Michael Clibanoff should have an epic battle with Kirson to take the reins. And I think the Buckeyes will be better off with one of the newbies.
4. Special teams.
Probably the absolute worst aspect of this Buckeye team was the EMO. On Man Up, the Buckeyes were atrocious.
OSU had a conversion percentage of .273 when up a man. In 2017, that was .492. A drop of 219 points is just abysmal. Having to guard only 1 real outside shooter in Leclaire, opposing defenses had a field day.
To make matters worse, the Buckeyes gave up a .475 conversion percentage to their opponents. To be that bad on Man Down is truly unfathomable, especially after holding opponents to a .303 percentage in 2017.
The poles and Terefenko alone are good enough to keep teams under .350. This was a disaster across the board for OSU, and it has to fall squarely on the coaching staff.
Talent can account for some things, but to be this bad at special teams is a coaching issue. Something has to change. Badly.
The issues with this year's squad were plentiful. But next year is a new year, a new team, and a new version of the sport. To wrap things up, here's a bit of what you can look forward to next year.
1. Shot clock.
The bogey man of college lacrosse has been the shot clock, and how it's going to affect the game.
The majority seem to want it, though everyone I have heard talk about it is nervous that it will negatively affect some of the game. Depending on how it's implemented, the shot clock could spell a sea change for the Buckeye offense.
OSU is one of the slowest teams in the country in pace of play, and a shot clock could force them into an uncomfortable offensive situation. How the shot clock is implemented will determine just how differemt an offense we see in 2019.
2. New faces.
The 2018 recruiting class has a detailed thread you can read at your convenience. But the pieces coming in should have you excited.
Some missing offensive needs have been addressed. There will be a competition to be the true difference-maker at X on attack, and I think Zach Ludd could be a day 1 starter.
He's an incredible feeder of the ball, and could be just what Tre Leclaire needs to match his freshman year numbers. Johnny Wiseman and Matthew Clibanoff could add some needed shake to the midfield, stretching out defenses to give the attackman more room to operate.
And we have already talked about the goalie prospects the Buckeyes are bringing in. New blood is always exciting, and hopefully the 2018 freshman have a bigger impact than their 2017 counterparts.
All in all, it was a mediocre year for the men's lacrosse team. Some good moments, some bad. It will be a long offaeason as the staff and team lick their wounds and get ready for next year.
I will have updates for 2019 every now and then. The 2019 recruiting thread will probably drop once signing day hits in November.
Thanks for following along, and Go Bucks!
