Ohio State beat Denver 6-4 at the Ohio State Lacrosse Stadium Thursday. Credit: Liam Ahern | Sports Photo Editor
Goals were always going to be difficult to find.
Ohio State and Denver, two of the nation’s stingiest defenses, squared off Thursday night in a matchup where every possession was contested and scoring chances were scarce.
Ultimately, the Buckeyes’ defense proved just a little tougher.
No. 8 Ohio State capped its nonconference schedule with a 6-4 win over No. 12 Denver Thursday at Ohio State Lacrosse Stadium, extending its season-long streak of holding every opponent to single-digit scoring.
After suffering its first loss of the season to No. 1 Notre Dame, Ohio State did not let its momentum falter. The Buckeyes improved their record to 7-1 and 2-1 versus ranked opponents.
Head coach Nick Myers said the Buckeyes generated chances but struggled to convert, finishing with 47 shots, 18 of which were on goal for six scores.?
“We struggled to find an offensive rhythm,” Myers said. “We’ve got to do a much better job shooting.”?
The Buckeyes and Pioneers are the only two teams to limit their opponents to an average of seven goals per game. Ohio State carried this standard to open the game with a 2-0 lead in the first quarter. Junior goalie Caleb Fyock had two early stops and finished the game with 10 saves, a .714 save percentage.?
“We knew it was a short week coming in,” Fyock said. “We took a look at our opponent and looked at what we needed to do and just focused all on us.”
Denver responded in the second quarter with a pair of goals to cut the lead 3-2 at the half, but Ohio State answered out of the break. Junior attacker Garrett Haas and freshman attacker Khalif Hocker each scored within the opening of the third period to extend the Buckeyes’ lead to 5-2.?
“We knew going into tonight, goals are going to be hard to come by,” Myers said. “I think we made it a bit harder than maybe we needed to at times, but we battled, and our defense stood up.”?
Haas, who has had at least one goal and assist in every game this season, continued his streak when he put one in the back of the net. He is now four goals away from becoming the 15th player in program history to reach 100 career goals.?
Ohio State entered the game ranked second nationally in clearing percentage at 91.6 percent, and they maintained this efficiency Thursday. The Buckeyes have recorded only one failed clear in their last two games against top-15 opponents.?
“Big Ten play is a different chapter,” Myers said. “We’ve got to focus on what’s next.”?
The Buckeyes open the Big Ten competition on the road against Rutgers March 21.?
