Men’s Lacrosse: No. 8 Ohio State earns first ranked win with 11-10 overtime victory against Notre Dame

John Pearson
Sat, 23 Mar 2019 23:22:43 +0000
Lacrosse, News, Sports, ben Randall, Big Ten, bo lori, Brendan Barger, Buckeyes, colin chell, Erik Evans, Evan Riss, Freddy Freibott, Jack Jasinski, Jack Myers, Jackson Reid, Josh Kirston, Justin Inacio, lacrosse, Lucas Buckley, Matt Borges, men's lacrosse, Nick Musci, Nick Myers, Notre Dame, Notre Dame men's lacrosse, Notre Dame Ohio State, Notre Dame Ohio State score, ohio state, Ohio State lacrosse, Ohio State men's lacrosse, Ryan Terefenko, Tre Leclaire

Ohio State then-freshman midfielder Jackson Reid looks for an open shooting lane against Michigan on April 13, 2018. Ohio State won 8-5. Credit: Edward Sutelan | Editor-in-Chief

The Ohio State men’s lacrosse team came back from a five-goal deficit on Saturday to defeat its first ranked opponent, No. 11 Notre Dame, in overtime with an 11-10 win. A hat trick from sophomore midfielder Jackson Reid helped bring the Buckeyes back to victory.

The Buckeyes played a game of two halves, with Notre Dame dominating the first half, and Ohio State rallying back in the second half, taking the lead before the Fighting Irish came back to force overtime.

Sophomore midfielder Colby Smith scored his second goal of the game in overtime to keep the Buckeyes undefeated with an 11-10 win.

No. 8 Ohio State (7-0) came into Saturday undefeated, but more rested after game against Denver was cancelled due to weather conditions the week before. Though the Buckeyes were undefeated, they had yet to play a ranked opponent, and Notre Dame (4-3) proved to be a serious test.

The Fighting Irish got out to an early two-goal lead before the Buckeyes tied it at 2-2. The second quarter was all about the Fighting Irish, with Notre Dame scoring four unanswered goals to lead at half 6-2. Junior attacker Brian Willetts scored two goals in the quarter for the Fighting Irish.

The second half brought Ohio State’s moment to come back. After a Notre Dame goal, the Buckeyes ripped off four straight goals to keep the game within one goal. Reid was vital in the quarter, finding the net twice.

The Irish would start the fourth quarter with a goal with Willets getting his hat trick, but senior midfielder Jack Jasinski would tie the game with back-to-back goals. Buckeyes lead goal scorer, junior attacker Tre LeClaire, earned his second of the game to take the lead.

The Irish raced back down two goals in less than two minutes to force overtime, but Smith’s overtime goal ended the Irish’s hope and secured the victory for Ohio State.

The Buckeyes are back at home against Rutgers at noon Saturday.