Hi there!
Allow me to introduce myself to the readers of ILWT. My name is Miles McQuinn. I am the play-by-play voice for Ohio State Buckeyes lacrosse on our student visual broadcasts, otherwise known as Buckeye Vision.
I want to take a moment to thank Marisa for a tremendous opportunity in allowing me to have a weekly spot on the site. I’ll be bringing you my thoughts every Wednesday on Ohio State lacrosse, as well as things to look out for during the next matchup for the Buckeyes. In addition, if I see something that catches my eye in the Big Ten, I’ll be sure to chime in and let you know what’s going on inside of my head.
So without further adieu, let’s take a look at this Saturday’s contest against the No. 3 ranked Denver Pioneers.
OHIO STATE vs #3 DENVER at Ohio Stadium
My first thoughts heading into this game….
Ohio State is a 5-2 team that should be 7-0. Turnovers against Detroit in their season opener cost them dearly, combined with going 1-5 with man up opportunities. The Buckeyes other loss came against Marquette. OSU went into the fourth quarter with a 9-5 lead, only to let it slip away, as the Golden Eagles pumped home five goals to win in regulation. Both of Ohio State’s losses have come by one goal a piece.
I’ve been really impressed with the defense to this point. It’s not just because the Buckeyes are ranked 5th in the country defensively, giving up 6.86 goals per game, it’s because of the play from senior Evan Mulchrone. Losing someone like Dominic Imbordino to graduation was a big hole to fill, and Mulchrone has stepped up to the plate in a big way, as he leads the team in caused turnovers with nine. Junior Robby Haus has been exceptional of course (you didn’t think I forgot about him, did you?). He’s the anchor of the defensive core, but Mulchrone has been placed on every opposing team’s big gunner this season. Very interested to see who he is matched up against on Saturday.
This is really the Buckeyes first true test in my opinion. Hold up for a second. I know that Marquette is ranked No. 10 and is 7-0. I give them and coach Joe Amplo all the credit in the world given that this is just their third season in program history. The fact of the matter is OSU had them beat and simply did not step on their throats when they had them down. Meanwhile, Denver comes into the shoe having played three of their five games against top five opponents. Beating Duke and Notre Dame gives them an aura of a monster, and Bill Tierney and his squad have been as advertised to this point in the 2015 campaign.
I’ve got some fears….
Piggybacking off of the “stepping on throats” topic, with the exception of the Delaware game, the Buckeyes have been unable to keep the pedal to the metal whenever they have a lead. Let’s examine this:
- OSU was up on Detroit 4-3…… they lost 9-
- OSU led Robert Morris 7-1…… RMU brought it to within 7-5 before OSU won 10-6
- Dartmouth hung around, trailing 5-4 at the half before OSU took over and won 15-5
OSU led Bellarmine 7-2 before eventually winning 8-7 - The previously mentioned Marquette collapse in the fourth
- Even last week, the Scarlet and Gray held the lead over Hofstra four times during the course of the game. The fifth time was the charm, as Jesse King’s goal with 7:27 left in the fourth to put OSU up 9-7 was the eventual difference maker
The Buckeyes are used to playing with a lead, which is never a problem. It’s not really a fear as much as it is a curiosity to see how the Buckeyes will react if they are faced with a little adversity on Saturday.
Something’s got to give….
One of the best defensive teams in the nation face-off against one of the better offensive teams in the nation. Ohio State as I mentioned comes into Saturday as the fifth best team in the country defensively. Denver is ranked 13th, scoring just under 13 goals per game.
Ohio State has killed off all seven of their penalties, giving them a number one ranking in the man-down category. Denver is ranked third, converting on 63.2 percent of their chances.
The keys to victory….
I’ve mentioned it several times during broadcasts this season. The secondary scoring for Ohio State will be the key to their season. First round MLL Draft choice in senior midfielder Jesse King is the leader of the Buckeye attack, having scored 19 goals and adding 10 assists. Junior attackman Carter Brown, senior midfielder David Planning and junior attackman Ryan Hunter have to bring their A games to the shoe on Saturday, as I anticipate Denver will do everything in their power to shut down King.
What role will King play? I’ve seen him play the role of offensive facilitator, distributing to his teammates like there’s no tomorrow. I’ve also seen him take over games by himself by ripping balls into the back of the net. He’s that good. Five goals against Dartmouth and Delaware, as well as four goals against Hofstra last Saturday make him a “must see” player week in and week out. Denver will try to stop him, but he always plays a role somehow.
Sophomore attackman Connor Cannizzaro has come out firing this season he paces the Pioneer offense with 16 goals and 12 assists. He had four goals against the Fighting Irish in their recent overtime win. Junior attackman Jack Bobzien was out three games with injury and came back to score a goal against Notre Dame. Scary to think that he had 6 goals against Duke in game one of the season. Haus, Mulchrone, freshman Brendan Barger, junior Chris Mahoney on defense, as well as short-stick junior Kacy Kapinos have their work cut out for them.
Senior Chistopher May needs to bring it in the faceoff circle. Last Saturday was the first game of the season where May didn’t dominate in faceoffs. Against Kris Clarke of Hofstra, he went 9-19. He is one of the best at what he does in all of college lacrosse. He makes it seem so easy at times. Possession will be crucial for the Buckeyes if they hope to pull off the upset. Freshman Trevor Baptiste is pretty darn good in the circle as well (67.8 win %). I’m expecting a heavyweight bout for the ages between these two.
