Full disclosure: this is attempt number two. Attempt number one is on a dead drive somewhere that I can't access til next week. So you know, this is going to be a bit uglier than I wanted.

Cleveland State is Ohio's OTHER DI lacrosse team. The Vikings finally joined a conference, getting into the NEC and being picked to finish second this year. That's pretty good. Conference mates include the likes of VMI, Mercyhurst, Detroit Mercy, and others. It's a good level for CSU.

The Vikings return for another season under current coach Andy German, who has kept the team in a steady spot after the departure of Dylan Sheridan. Under Sheridan, CSU looked likely to beat the Buckeyes in one of these games. Under German, the Vikings aren't going to get too close to that. The team just isn't the same without Sheridan at the helm.

That said, there's still plenty to worry about, as Ohio State is taking on a team with plenty of depth and experience. Let's take a look.

Attack

Cleveland State returns Wyatt Robertson (#30) at attack, who is fresh off a 28 goal debut season. With 6 assists, Robertson had a better season last year than any Ohio State freshman since Tre Leclaire in 2017. Robertson, obviously, is a scorer who needs to operate with an excellent midfield dodger. He has that, as we will get into.

Cleveland State isn't going to overwhelm the Buckeyes down low, but Robertson will have a ton of opportunities to punish poor rotations when the Buckeyes slide. And, given how badly the Buckeyes have recovered off slides this season, that could be a big problem. We will see if Ohio State's defense can get to where they need to be just a few days after their latest game.

Midfield

Ohio State's biggest matchup this week is going to be the Buckeye defensive middies against all of Cleveland State's offensive middies. Leading scorer Alex van Voorhis (#66) is back for a 5th year with Cleveland State. The man is a true dual threat, having tallied 20 goals and 20 assists last season. LSM or SSDM, the Buckeyes are going to be in trouble when the ball is in his stick.

Utah had a great time shoveling the ball inside to attackmen all game in the opener, and Ohio State can likely expect more of the same here. Hopefully there are worse results for the Vikings.

Joining van Voorhis are his younger brother Adam (#4), Amiri Austin (#17), who had 17 goals last year, and a bunch of unknowns. The group is very young, but van Voorhis is a headliner who could give the Buckeyes fits.

Faceoff

This team is eerily similar to Detroit Mercy, just a bit better. The Vikings won 47% of their draws last season, which is pretty poor. Their starter tomorrow, Robbie Stewart (#21), won 47.3% of his draws. Jack Oldman should not have too many problems tomorrow, which would help alleviate the Buckeyes' defensive concerns.

On a side note, Oldman really needs to carry momentum through the remaining games until Virginia, because he got absolutely walloped against Utah. No one will be easy in the Big Ten, either. This season is largely going to go the way Oldman goes. No pressure.

Defense

Cleveland State was bad on defense last year. Full stop. Teams got 60.8% of shots on goal, scored 31% of shots, and generally rampaged through the Vikings when on offense. Griffin Valli (#88) headlines the poles, as he was 2nd team all conference last season. The others will be new starters, giving us little to go on. That includes the goalie, as Cleveland State lost him to graduation as well. Opportunities abound for the offense. The Buckeyes just need to execute.

Overall

I love that Ohio State takes care of local programs in all sports. I hate the other teams that get scheduled. Cleveland State won't really challenge Ohio State too much, even though they're a little better than Detroit Mercy. That said, there are 21 Ohioans on this roster, which gives CSU just a little more pep when playing the Buckeyes. If there is a danger, it's that Ohio State comes out flat again and fumbles the game away early.

I still don't see that happening, even if it is more realistic than I would like. Ohio State is better at enough possessions that this should be a bit of a snoozer. We will see tomorrow.

Final prediction: Ohio State 12, CSU 5.

Cleveland State Ohioan Count: 21

Ohio Vibe Rating: Geneva-on-the-lake is a great town, and we're marching north from Toledo Monday to add all of the LP to the Toledo strip!

Go Bucks!

Game is at noon. B1G+. I may have to mute it.