Bellarmine beats Buckeyes 14-13 in overtime

Courtesy of Bellarmine Athletics

COLUMBUS, Ohio--The Bellarmine University lacrosse team scored their first-ever win over Ohio State with a dramatic 14-13 overtime victory in and ECAC Lacrosse game today at "The Horseshoe" on OSU's campus.

After the Buckeyes scored the final two goals in regulation to force sudden death overtime, Bellarmine's Keaton Ohara collected a ground ball on the defensive and streaked about 50 yards downfield and rifled a shot past Buckeye goalie Brandon Freeman to get the win for the Knights.

The game, which was televised as the ECAC "Game of the Week," was a defensive struggle in the first half as Bellarmine led just 4-3 at the intermission. Both teams' offenses revved up in the second half as they combined for 19 goals. 

Bellarmine's offense was led by senior Sean Doyle, who registered five goals on just six shots.  Scoring two goals for the Knights were Jarrett Davis, Shane Andersen, and Ohara.  Derek Hopcroft and Chase Williams each dished out three assists on the afternoon.

Ohio State was paced by James Green and Dominique Alexander, who both tallied four goals.  The Buckeyes' Logan Schuss recorded three assists.

Bellarmine's freshman goalkeeper Dillon Ward again came up big for the Knights and was particularly impressive over the first 30 minutes as he recorded 11 saves and allowed just three goals.  The British Columbia native finished with 14 saves in recording the victory.

As scoring picked up in the second half, both teams scored in streaks.  After swapping goals to start the third period, the Buckeyes scored three straight to claim a 7-5 advantage with 5:53 in the period.  The Knights then went on a 3-0 run to reclaim the lead at 8-7 with 2:14 left in the third stanza.

Ohio State then rallied for two goals in the final half minute of third quarter action to take a 9-8 lead into the final period. 

Bellarmine opened the fourth quarter with a 4-0 run to take a 12-9 lead with 9:37 remaining in regulation.  After Ohio State got within one, Doyle gave Bellarmine a two-goal lead with just 2:35 remaining.  However, the Buckeyes came back to tie the score then got a big save from Freeman in the final seconds to force the overtime. 

The win gives Bellarmine a 9-6 final record, which is the best season the Knights have recorded since playing a Division I schedule. Bellarmine also posted their best conference mark (3-4) in school history.  This is the first year Bellarmine has competed in the Eastern College Athletic Conference. 

Ohio State falls to 7-7 on the season and are tied with the Knights at 3-4 in league play.