Card lax dodges past Ohio State for the win

On a cold, blustery day in Columbus, Ohio, the Stanford women’s lacrosse team used a hot start to defeat No. 13 Ohio State 12-10.

The Cardinal (2-1) began the game on a 4-0 run sparked by redshirt junior Rachel Ozer, who opened the scoring less than two minutes after the opening draw.

When Ohio State scored its first goal nearly 14 minutes in, Ozer answered with two more goals to extend the Cardinal’s lead to 6-1. The attacker netted a team-high four goals against the Buckeyes and currently leads the Cardinal with eight goals and five assists on the season.

“[Ozer] had a nose for the net today,” Stanford head coach Amy Bokker told GoStanford.com. “She’s an awesome dodger, one of the best in the country, and she had a great moment and was a finisher today.”

The final 10 minutes of the first half saw a flurry of offense from both teams. After the Buckeyes scored twice to bring the score to 6-3, Stanford freshman Adrienne Anderson and sophomore Hannah Farr responded with goals to stretch the lead once again.

Ohio State added two more quick goals, but the Cardinal entered halftime with a 9-5 lead after Farr set up Fraser for a buzzer-beating goal to end the period.

Fraser recorded a hat trick for the second consecutive game, while also adding an assist on Farr’s first-half goal.

“[Fraser] was really poised under the pressure Ohio State put on her and made the most of her opportunities,” Bokker said.

The Buckeyes opened the second half with two straight goals to cut the deficit to two. Fraser broke the streak with an unassisted tally at 20:15, but Ohio State’s Jessica Hassett would respond just a minute later to keep the game tight.

With about 15 minutes remaining in the game, the Cardinal took a 12-8 lead by pumping in two goals in 19 seconds. After freshman midfielder Mackenzie Tesei picked up a rebound and put away an unassisted tally, Fraser won the ensuing draw control to set up a goal by junior attacker Anna Kim that was assisted by sophomore Meredith Kalinowski. Kalinowski also recorded a goal in the first half.

The Buckeyes would add two goals in the final 10 minutes, but those would ultimately prove inconsequential as the Cardinal closed out the game and sealed the 12-10 win.

Once again, junior Megan Lerner made her presence known defensively for the Cardinal by picking up five ground balls and controlling one draw. She leads the team with 13 draw controls and is tied for the team-lead with nine ground balls.

Stanford won 12 of 23 draw controls and picked up 23 ground balls on the day. According to Bokker, the Cardinal’s defensive pressure played a critical role in the team’s win.

Stanford junior goalkeeper Lyndsey Munoz made six of her nine saves in the second half, including several at key moments, to cap off a strong performance in net. She has posted an 11.92 goals-against average through Stanford’s first three games.

The Cardinal will look for its third victory in a row—and second straight over a ranked opponent—when it faces No. 11 Georgetown in a non-conference matchup on March 5 at home.

Georgetown hasn’t lost this season after defeating Delaware, No. 16 Towson and Princeton in its first three games. The Hoyas have outscored their opponents 40-28 this season.

Georgetown returned 14 of their top 15 scorers from a year ago, when the Hoyas’ season ended in the Big East semifinals. So far this season, 11 different players have scored for the Hoyas, led by sophomore Caroline Tarzian, who has five goals and five assists, and junior Kelyn Freedman, who has posted seven goals and one assist.

Georgetown senior midfielder Sophia Thomas was one of 50 players—including Stanford juniors Anna Kim and Lyndsey Munoz—recently named to the Tewaaraton Award Watch List.

Junior Barb Black has played every minute in net for the Hoyas in 2013, recording 16 saves and a 9.33 goals-against average. Stanford’s attack, which averages just over 13 goals a game, will try to exploit an inexperienced Georgetown defense and create shots against Black.

“We’re playing another great opponent so hopefully [the win against Ohio State] will give us some momentum going into that match,” Bokker said.

The game against the Hoyas is slated for 4 p.m. start time at Cagan Stadium on Tuesday, March 5.

Contact Jana Persky at jpersky “at” stanford.edu.