After several attempts, the Ohio State men's lacrosse team has finally reached the semifinals of the NCAA tournament. Checking in at No. 3 in the country, the Buckeyes topped the Duke Blue Devils on Saturday and will play in the semis for the first time in team history.
BUCKEYES ARE BOSTON BOUND
— Ohio State Men's LAX (@OhioState_MLAX) May 20, 2017
@OhioState_MLAX defeats Duke 16-11 to reach program's first #NCAALax Final Four!#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/Ms4Sd4E3YE
For Ohio State, senior Eric Fannell helped to lead the charge by scoring five goals on seven attempts to go along with two assists. JT Blubaugh, Johnny Pearson, Lukas Buckley, and Jack Jasinski each chipped in with a pair of scores.
The Buckeyes found themselves up by eight entering the final frame, but Duke answered quickly with a pair of goals to begin the quarter. Not to be denied, Ohio State scored three times in the quarter and was able to hold off the Blue Devils by a score of 16-11.
| TEAM | FIRST | SECOND | THIRD | FOURTH | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OHIO STATE | 2 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 16 |
| Duke | 1 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 11 |
In its three previous trips to the quarterfinals, the team has fallen just short. They fell to Duke in 2008, Cornell in 2013, and then to eventual national champion Denver in 2015. Now, they have finally gotten over the hump and will play in the final four.
The win brings the team to 15-4 on the season. Their next challenge will come on Saturday, May 27 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. The team will square off against the winner of No. 2 Syracuse and Towson. The Buckeyes traveled to Towson back in March and came away with a 6-3 victory.
The NCAA championship game will be held on May 29 in Foxborough.
