I have never seen a team so completely dominate an opponent at the faceoff X, only to lose so convincingly it was like Creed-Drago fight. Ohio State was completely crippled by Johns Hopkins star FOGO, but ran rampant for large portions of today's game. The Buckeyes raced out to an easy 3-0 lead, utilizing offense not seen in years.
Watching the tape, Ohio State must have seen something, because the Buckeyes were throwing skip passes to score goals like it was going out of style.
Alex Marinier finished his day with 6 goals and 1 assist. Big number 5 was WIDE the heck open time after time. And he made his shots count. Mariner is on pace to utterly smash the recent goal record, as he is already above 40 goals on the season. Tre Leclaire, Ohio State's all-time leading goalscorer (thanks to Covid) reached 49 his freshman year. The single season goal record is 60. IF Ohio State makes a deep Big Ten Tournament and national tournament run, that 60 mark is in deep trouble.
Garrett Haas played very well today as well, dominating when he drew a shorty matchup in the 3rd. Haas is really progressing well after grinding out last season to get back into lacrosse shape. With 2 more years of Haas at the helm, Ohio State is really starting to look like a good offensive team for once.
Defensively, Ohio State weathered a ferocious storm. Hopkins had 65% of its shots on goal, which is a MASSIVE improvement for them. The Jays took 8 more shots, and generally dominated the ball all game.
Caleb Fyock was massive AGAIN, turning in 15 saves, keeping Ohio State well in command, despite its defensive issues. If Fyock doesn't falter, he will smash the saves record at OSU. The Buckeyes are going to go as far as he and Jack Oldman take them.
Ohio State played a fairly mistake free game, only turning the ball over 14 times. For a team usually over 20, that's really good. Obviously, Ohio State made every shot cound, shooting almost 50% on the day, scoring 14 goals on just 30 shots. Absolutely insane.
If Ohio State had Logan Callahan, I would tell you all to just wait til Memorial Day, because the Buckeyes are winning the ship. They do not, so we're all going to be white knuckling it for a while.
As it stands, Ohio State has officially matched its best ever win total in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes have finished 3-2 three times in conference history, all under Nick Myers.
Next week's game against Maryland could see Ohio State win its first ever regular season title. Or, the Buckeyes could go to Ann Arbor with vengeance on their minds, and a title still in play, depending on results.
Either way, the Buckeyes have everything to play for still. Ohio State has to go .500 in its next two games to get a first round bye. Go 0-2, and the Buckeyes are playing on opening weekend.
Beat Maryland, and this is the best Big Ten season in OSU men's lacrosse history. Regardless of the tournament.
Add in tournament runs, and this is even better than 2017. As it stands, this season is shaping up to be very, very similar to the legendary 2017 run. No superior teams in front of them. Much, much better results. All the momentum.
I am feeling it. Vibes are high. Team is good. Bring on the Terps!
Go Bucks!
