Colorado
Ohio State
Buffs Notch First Season Victory With Win Over Buckeyes
March 12, 2023 | Lacrosse
COLUMBUS – Colorado Lacrosse took down Ohio State in a 14-10 win here Sunday afternoon at the OSU Lacrosse Stadium to get its first victory of the season.
The Buffaloes trailed early in the game, scoring just one goal in the first quarter, but then came out firing in the second by putting the ball in the back of the next six times. That success on offense continued throughout the day as CU scored its most goals in a game all season.
"This team is very capable when we execute. We were not perfect, but we made plays when we needed to and we kept at it," head coach Ann Elliott Whidden said after the win.
Colorado (1-4) dominated the turnover battle over the Buckeyes (4-5), committing just 10 compared to Ohio State's 21. Eight of those 21 OSU turnovers were caused by the Buffs. Despite winning seven less draws than the Buckeyes, CU was able to feed off the turnovers and turn them into solid offensive possessions.
Charlie Rudy continued her phenomenal season with another great performance today, scoring five goals. Coming into the game, Rudy ranked third in the Pac-12 in goals with 13. She now leads the conference in goals through five games.
Sam McGee also had a great showing, scoring four goals, three of which came from free-position attempts in the fourth quarter. After missing the Michigan game, Ashley Stokes returned to the lineup and made her presence felt, recording a hat trick along with a caused turnover and two ground balls.
Junior attacker, Zoe McElhaney, and freshman midfielder, Jess Peluso, were also contributors on offense as they both scored their first career goals.
Ohio State made a run in the third quarter and regained the lead, but Colorado's defense stepped up in the fourth, allowing just one goal while the Buffs' offense was firing on all cylinders.
"Nothing is going to be easy for us, every team we play is competing for the same things we are. But when we understand that and we focus on things we can control, focus on the details and little plays, we are capable of anything," stated Whidden. "Proud of this team today. Lots of work to do, but we will take this win and start to get ready for our conference season which is key for us."
The Colorado Lacrosse team will be back in Boulder for a One Love and St. Patrick's Day game against Stanford on Friday, March 17th at 3:00 p.m. MT.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Ohio State struck first, scoring a goal four and a half minutes into the game. The Buffs then found themselves in a 2-0 deficit with just under five minutes remaining in the quarter. Stokes put Colorado on the board with a goal following a Buckeyes turnover to make it 2-1.
Early in the second, Rudy scored on a player-up opportunity, but shortly after OSU responded with a player-up goal of its own. Stokes was able to get her second goal of the day to tie things up at 3-3 with 11:04 to go in the first half. Just one minute later, Rudy ripped one into the back of the net on a free-position attempt to give the Buffs the lead. Later in the quarter, Ohio State tied it once again at 4-4. For the remainder of the half, Colorado dominated on offense, scoring three unanswered goals to take a 7-4 lead going into halftime.
The Buckeyes came out hot in the third quarter after going on a 3-0 scoring run to make it 7-7 with 8:31 left. Stokes scored her third goal on a free-position attempt to retake the lead for the Buffs. The one-goal Colorado lead lasted for about five minutes before OSU scored back-to-back goals in the final 1:30 of the third quarter. While trailing 9-8, CU won the draw with short time, setting up Peluso's first career goal with under one second left on the clock.
The game was tied 9-9 at the start of the fourth quarter. Rudy put one in the back of the net within the first two minutes to regain the lead. Both teams traded possessions before McGee scored a free-position goal to extend the Colorado lead to two at 11-9. Just a minute later, Ohio State responded with a goal to come within one again. The Buffs finished the game with three unanswered goals to put the Buckeyes out of reach and win the game 14-10.
UP NEXT:
Colorado Lacrosse will be back in Boulder to take on Stanford in a St. Patrick's Day and One Love game on Friday, March 17th at 3:00 p.m. MT. It will be the first of two games on the weekend for the Buffs as they will also face Cal on Sunday, March 19th.
