Vanderbilt Lacrosse (2-3) lost to the Ohio State Buckeyes (3-0) at home by a score of 14-8. The Commodores have lost their only two home games thus far, but both of those losses came against ranked opponents — the previous being a 12-20 loss at the hands of No. 18 Clemson. Jaime Biskup, Brooke Baker, Kemper Robinson, Bailey Lower, Nancy Halleron and Maddie Barkate all contributed goals, but it wasn’t enough to give the Commodores the win.
The Buckeyes set the tone early in the game, claimed the lead within the first few minutes and never gave it up. Ohio State’s Kate Tyack led the scorers with four on the day, but two Commodores also found themselves with multiple — Biskup and Baker with two apiece. The Commodores fought until the very end with a ranked team, but ultimately couldn’t keep up with Ohio States’ offensive pace.
First quarter
Ohio State took control of the opening face-off, and a brutal collision halted play — no one was injured, but Halleron received a yellow card. Ohio State used the opportunity to blitz the net, and Brynn Ammerman opened the scoring with an uncontested shot from inside the 12-meter fan.
Vanderbilt fouled Ohio State in a dangerous position twice, and it capitalized the second time around — Kampbell Stone was credited with the goal. The Commodores applied great pressure on the Buckeyes’ net, but a promising shot that beat the goalkeeper was blocked by a defender.
Ohio States’ Leah Sax converted a solo goal on the other end that forced Vanderbilt head coach Beth Hewitt call a timeout. The Buckeyes won the ball back after the timeout, but a strong defensive stand by Vanderbilt forced a turnover as the shot clock expired on the Buckeyes. Vanderbilt managed a shot on goal on the other end, but it was easily stopped by the keeper. The Buckeyes turned the tables shortly after and extended their lead to 4-0.
An Ohio State foul set Vanderbilt up in a great position, and Baker took matters into her own hands to open the scoring for the Commodores. Another dangerous attack saw a shot by Vanderbilt ring off the post, but the Buckeyes eventually reclaimed possession.
Vanderbilt ricocheted a second shot off the post, but fouls by Ohio State kept them on the attack until Baker found space to convert her second goal of the night. The first quarter ended with the Buckeyes leading 4-2.
Second quarter
Tyack came out of the break kicking, scoring two unassisted goals within 30 seconds of each other. Tyack converted a third goal one minute later to make it 7-2 Ohio State and complete the hat trick.
A scoop and score by Biskup put another on the board for the Commodores, but it wasn’t long before the Buckeyes answered to make it 8-3. Biskup netted another to cut the deficit to 8-4 right before halftime.
Third quarter
The second half started out quiet, but eventually the Buckeyes broke through for their ninth goal of the game. The Commodores had a tough time forcing turnovers in their defensive third and gave the Buckeyes plenty of time to find a gap in their defenses.
Ohio State kept the pressure on, and Tyack soon slotted her fourth goal of the game from free position. Lower — assisted by Barkate — breathed life into the Commodores with a slick shot that snuck past Ohio States’ goalie to cut Ohio State’s lead to 10-5. Buckeye Katie Kauchek conceded a free position to Vanderbilt and picked up a yellow card in the process. Robinson took advantage of the position and brought the Commodores back within four with 18.5 seconds left in the third quarter.
Fourth quarter
It only took the Buckeyes 30 seconds to score their first goal of the final quarter, as Stone extended Ohio State’s lead to 11-6. Halleron answered for Vanderbilt, assisted by Biskup in an impressive team effort. The goal swung momentum in Vanderbilt’s favor, as Barkate notched her first of the game to make the score 11-8 just 33 seconds after Halleron’s score. For a moment, the Commodores looked like they could claim the game in dramatic, come-from-behind fashion.
Ohio State took a timeout with 6:25 left in the game to draw up a play, and a Vanderbilt foul gave the Buckeyes a free position that they capitalized on to stop Vanderbilt’s run. Good defense by Vanderbilt forced a shot-clock violation on Ohio States’ next possession, but Vanderbilt couldn’t make anything happen with the ball — even after getting a free position. Vanderbilt tried to press the Buckeyes’ offense by playing goalkeeper Molly Joyce out of position, but Ohio State found the open net to make it 13-8. Another free position for the Buckeyes saw them extend their lead to 14-8 to close out the game.
The Commodores will face their next test on March 5 at 12 p.m. CST when they host the Louisville Cardinals.
