COLUMBUS, Ohio – The visiting San Diego State lacrosse team was unable to complete a second-half rally against Ohio State Sunday, dropping a 16-10 decision on the road inside Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.
After trailing by as many as five goals early in the second half, the Aztecs (8-3) pulled to within 10-9 by the 15:10 mark, only to see the Buckeyes pull away with a 6-1 run down the stretch and hand the visitors their second straight loss.
Despite maintaining a 29-25 advantage in ground balls and committing fewer turnovers (13-11), SDSU was just 2-of-12 (.167) on free position shots after entering the day with a .473 clip for the season (53-112). OSU goalkeeper Jill Rizzo made eight of her 14 saves on those Aztec attempts, including five in the second half.
Individually, SDSU was led by Taylor Sullivan, who tied a program record with seven ground balls and posted team-highs of three goals and three draw controls to with a pair of caused turnovers. In addition, Harlowe Steele contributed to the Aztec charge with two goals and a personal-best five ground balls, while Bailey Brown found the back of the net on two occasions while controlling three draws.
For the second straight game, SDSU found itself facing a 7-3 deficit at intermission. The Buckeyes increased their advantage to 9-4 by the 26:27 mark of the second half after Sophie Baez and Liza Hernandez tallied strikes sandwiched around a goal by the Aztecs' Jill Haight.
Moments later, the Scarlet and Black flashed its mettle, fashioning a 5-1 run over a span of 5:29 to narrow the gap to 10-9. Steele had two goals during that span, along with single tallies by Sullivan, Caitlin Jones and Natalie Peel.
The Aztecs were unable to draw any closer, however, as OSU scored five straight goals, including the first four after successive draw controls, to build a 15-9 lead by the 10-minute mark.
SDSU ended its scoring drought on Brown's second tally of the afternoon with 8:34 left but were shut out the rest of the way, as the Buckeyes' Baley Parrott provided the final outcome with a goal at the 7:31 mark.
Parrott (7 draws) and Baez paced Ohio State with four goals each, while Liza Hernandez, Sara Dickinson, Sage Darling and McKayla Conti had two score apiece. In addition, Caroline Mackrides collected four ground balls and caused three turnovers, with the latter tying Lindsey Epstein for game-high honors.
The two sides matched one another with 24 shots on goal, however, the Buckeyes maintained the upper hand in draw controls to help fuel their win.
The first half was a low-scoring affair, with Brown's tally at the 26:07 mark knotting the contest at 1-1. However, the Aztecs found themselves in pursuit mode after OSU scored three straight goals over a span of 10:18 from the near midpoint of the period.
Trailing 4-1, SDSU finally broke through with a pair of strikes by Sullivan over the final 4:47. However, the Buckeyes netted two goals by Parrott and another by Conti to stake a 7-3 lead into the halftime break.
Goalkeeper Katy Sharretts made eight saves for the Aztecs, while Elizabeth Adams also contributed on defense with three ground balls a two caused turnovers.
UP NEXT
San Diego State returns to the Eastern time zone on Saturday, March 30, when it travels to Harrisonburg, Va., to take on defending national champion and seventh-ranked James Madison. Opening draw is set for 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT.
Lacrosse Toppled by Ohio State, 16-10
