March 11, 2005

Box Score

COLUMBUS, OHIO - Freshman Kelly Kremer (Kennett Square, PA/Unionville) scored a career-high six goals and the Buckeyes outscored the Blue Jays 6-3 in the second half as the Ohio State women's lacrosse team (2-1, 1-0 ALC) upset sixth-ranked Johns Hopkins (1-2, 1-1 ALC) 12-9. The game was tied 6-6 at halftime and 8-8 with 11 minutes remaining before Ohio State scored four straight.

The game began at 6 p.m. as scheduled at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium, but with 8:39 remaining in the first half, the officials halted the game due to snow. Play resumed approximately 45 minutes later indoors on the turf field of the Woody Hayes Athletic Complex.

Ohio State jumped to a 2-0 lead behind consecutive goals from junior KC Carter (Birchrunville, PA/Owen J. Roberts). Carter scored off an assist from freshman Kristen Slahor (Ellicott City, MD/Mt. Hebron) 1:28 into the game, and tallied her second goal five minutes later on a free position shot.

Sophomore Mary Key (Stevensville, St. Mary's) put the Blue Jays on the board with an unassisted goal at 8:25, but Kremer answered with two straight goals and sophomore Kelyn Laws (Ellicott City, MD/Mt. Hebron) scored on a free position shot to give the Buckeyes a commanding 5-1 lead at 19:17.

The Blue Jays quickly responded as senior Kristen Miller (Baltimore, MD/Notre Dame Prep) scored her first goal of the year off an assist from junior Sarah Walsh (Port Washington, NY/P.D. Schreiber) just 30 seconds later, and sophomore Steph Janice (Medford, NJ/Shawnee) scored her second goal of the season at 21:21. Senior Erin Riordan (Brightwaters, NY/Bay Shore) set up Janice to help Hopkins close in 5-3; meanwhile, the snowstorm intensified in Columbus.

The game moved indoors, where Hopkins warmed up and scored two straight to tie the game 5-5 with just under seven minutes remaining in the half. Key assisted Walsh's second goal and then set up junior Meagan Voight (Sykesville, MD/Liberty) for her fourth goal of the year. Kremer slipped in another goal for the Buckeyes before Riordan scored a free position to end the first half with the score tied 6-6.

Johns Hopkins out-shot Ohio State 16-10 and had a 9-3 advantage on ground balls, but the Buckeyes won 9 of 13 draw controls in the first half. Hopkins junior Lauren Riddick (Crozet, VA/St. Anne's-Belfield) and Ohio State junior Kim Hastings (Sewickley, PA/Sewickley) each had four saves at the break.

After five scoreless minutes to open the second half, Kremer scored her fourth goal of the game on a free position shot to give Ohio State the 7-6 lead. Hopkins' freshmen Lauren Schwarzmann (Sykesville, MD/Century) and Kirby Houck (Baltimore, MD/Garrison Forest) connected for Houck's second career point and the game-tying goal at 41:56. Kremer and Key traded goals to knot the game once more, 8-8, at 46:17.

The Buckeyes then scored four unanswered goals in a run sparked by Carter's back-to-back goals at 48:59 and 51:51. Slahor set up Kremer's career-high sixth goal before sophomore Lindsey Weiner (Eldersburg, MD/Liberty) made it 12-8 with her first goal at 56:54. Hopkins freshman Kadie Stamper (Bel Air, MD/C. Milton Wright) scored her first career goal with just under two minutes to play.

Key led the Blue Jays with two goals and three assists, while Walsh and Riordan each finished with one goal and one assist. Carter had four goals and Slahor added four assists for the Buckeyes.

The Blue Jays out-shot the Buckeyes 35-26 overall and won the ground ball battle 16-5. But Hopkins committed five second-half turnovers, compared to just one by Ohio State, and trailed in draw controls 12-10.

Riddick finished with seven saves, while Hastings had nine.

Tonight's game was Hopkins' second loss in its two games ever played at Ohio State. The Blue Jays won their two meetings with the Buckeyes at Homewood Field.

Hopkins was picked to finish second, trailing only third-ranked Northwestern, in the ALC preseason poll while Ohio State finished sixth of seven teams in the ALC last season and was picked to finished sixth once again in the 2005 preseason poll. The Blue Jays defeated the Buckeyes 13-5 last year.

Johns Hopkins returns to action at Ohio University (1-3) this Sunday, March 13 at 12 p.m. The Blue Jays defeated the Bobcats in all three of their meetings, including a 12-4 win last season.