Women’s Lacrosse: Ohio State looks toward tournament play, faces Rutgers Thursday

Michaela Belkin
Thu, 20 Apr 2023 01:53:04 +0000
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The Ohio State offense sends the ball behind in the Ohio State-Cincinnati game. Ohio State won 13-12. Credit: Zachary Rilley | Photo Editor

The Ohio State women’s lacrosse team will head to Piscataway, New Jersey, for its last regular season game versus Rutgers Thursday.?

Ohio State (5-10, 0-5 Big Ten) will first be tasked with competing against the Scarlet Knights before it hosts the Big Ten Tournament semifinal and final rounds next week. Head coach Amy Bokker said the Ohio State Lacrosse Stadium welcoming conference rivals for postseason play will benefit the program, and she hopes crowds fill the stands.?

“I think to highlight our facility is awesome,” Bokker said. “After playing our last game against Northwestern, I thought the crowd was amazing. We hope the crowd can be similar during the tournament and help support us.”?

The Buckeyes lost their last home game of the regular season to Northwestern 17-11 Saturday. Despite the loss, it was the highest attended game for women’s lacrosse this season at 1,316 attendants.

Ohio State has found the back of the net 151 times, with 63 of the goals coming off assists. The Buckeyes have forced 113 turnovers along with 166 draw controls, with senior midfielder Caly O’Brien leading the team with 41 draw controls, while junior midfielder Jamie Lasda leads the team in assists with 29, ranking among the top 25 nationally in assists this season and tallying 25 goals.?

Lasda said she wants to continue her success finding her teammates on the field to make a play. She said the movement of her teammates working hard off the ball puts them in the right position to be open, making it easier for her to find them.?

“I think they recognize that defenders turn their heads towards me when I’m dodging, and they can really take advantage of that and put themselves in great spots,” Lasda said. “I do the easy work of getting it to them.”?

Some younger players have taken a greater role this season on the field as well. Freshman attack Casey Roberts has 18 goals and four assists while freshman attack Zoe Coleman has 10 goals and five assists.?

Bokker said a huge part of the team’s success comes from the younger players stepping up.?

“I think that we’ve had a lot of younger players step up throughout our time,” Bokker said. “That’s probably a credit to some of our experienced players, really guiding them through.”

Rutgers (6-7, 0-5 Big Ten) enters Thursday on a two-game winning streak, including the 12-7 home upset of then-No. 6 Stony Brook, despite remaining winless in Big Ten play.

Scarlet Knights senior midfielder Cassidy Spilis leads Rutgers this season with 37 goals scored — the sixth-most in the conference. Graduate attack Marin Hartshorn averages 1.62 assists per game, the fourth-most in the Big Ten, and is also second on Rutgers with 25 goals.

On the defensive side for Ohio State, junior goalie Regan Alexander proved her presence in goal with a 47.7 save percentage — among the top 25 nationally. Alexander is also sixth in the country in total saves this season with 148.?

Alexander said she uses those statistics as motivation and depends on the other defensive players alongside her, which builds her confidence and leads to more saves.?

“I wouldn’t be able to do it without the defense in front of me,” Alexander said. “Those statistics definitely make me super excited for the future of our team going into the tournament. I think our defense is a really strong aspect of our team, and it’s just nice to see and feel the reliability for all of us.”?

?Lasda said the Buckeyes hosting the semifinal and final rounds of the conference tournament — going from April 29 through May 6 after the regular season concludes — has given them an extra drive to come back and play postseason lacrosse in Columbus.

“It really motivates us to be able to play in our home stadium and to show off to all these people that are coming to us,” Lasda said. “I think it’s the pride of showing off the awesome new stadium and the facilities we have here.”