Ohio State graduate midfielder Annie Hargraves passes the ball to a teammate during the match against Pitt Saturday. Credit: Ohio State Athletics
Ohio State’s season opener offered a clear picture of where a young, newly assembled roster stands, and how it still needs to grow.?
In a 13-10 loss to Pitt on Saturday at the Ohio State Lacrosse Stadium, the Ohio State women’s lacrosse team flashed talent and energy, but never fully settled into an offensive rhythm.
Ohio State generated 27 shots but put only 14 on goal and had 13 turnovers, stats that reflect a unit still learning how to play together.?
Head coach Amanda Moore said her team struggled to find its tempo amidst a meshing of new players.?
“Where we maybe struggled was just to really find a rhythm in the game and to settle in the game,” she said. “Specifically offensively. And that’s a lot of new faces out there, which is exciting, but we needed to settle in a little bit sooner.”
The Buckeyes’ inexperience showed in the details. Five missed free?position looks, five shots off the post, and possessions that stalled before they could challenge Pitt’s pressure.?
Moore emphasized increasing the amount of shots on net will be something she turns her attention to moving forward.?
“Obviously we’d like to see more looks on the cage,” she said. “Pitt did a great job getting pressure out, but increasing the volume of our shot production is something we’ll certainly look at.”
Despite the offensive inconsistency, the team’s leadership core, particularly on the defensive end, helped steady the group.?
Junior goalkeeper and team captain Jocelyn Torres said the mix of experienced players and newcomers is still looking to find its balance.
“We have a lot of veterans on the field, and we also have a couple of new faces,” Torres said. “Our culture is good, we’re stable, we’re all on the same page. Everyone’s got each other’s backs. This is just one little step back, but it’ll be good going forward.”
Torres added that while the offense is concerned with composure and ball security, the defense is focused on continuing to force low?angle, more difficult shots, something she felt the unit executed well.
“From a defensive standpoint, I thought we did a good job holding them to fewer shots and more outside shots,” she said. “Moving forward, it’s always a goal to keep [shots]? to a minimum and not give up the same shot twice.”
The Buckeyes will play Louisville away on Tuesday in their first road matchup of the season.
