COLUMBUS, OH—The Binghamton women's lacrosse team (0-1) dropped their season opener 18-5 at the hands of the No. 10/12 Ohio State Buckeyes (2-0).


"We knew today's game was going to be tough," remarked Head Coach Stephanie Allen. "The first competition of the season is always a challenge and we certainly had our mistakes, but there are a lot of positives we can take away. I am proud of the hustle and heart our team brought to the field today and know they will be buckling down and working even harder over the course of the next few weeks."


The Buckeyes got off to a 6-0 run to start the game before Brianne Arthur tallied the first goal of the season for Binghamton, by means of a free position shot. From there Ohio State continued the offensive onslaught, and led 13-1 at the half.


The Bearcats came out and competed much better in the second half, scoring four goals and holding Ohio State to five.


"We made some adjustments to our draw crew and clears in the second half that gave us extra opportunities with the ball," reflected Allen. "We also tried to keep our midfielders and defenders fresh out there by get additional players in the mix. The second half was honestly just a better executed game plan on our behalf. We played a lot more defense today than we should be playing and our defenders really came through as a unit in the second 30. The big thing for us moving forward will be continued work on efficiency with the ball and creating more opportunities for possessions."


Tiffany Ryan scored the Bearcat's first goal of the half, making it 15-2 (assist by Samantha Karner). Four minutes later, Binghamton started a 3-0 run starting with a Samantha Karner goal. Renee Kiviat followed with a goal seven minutes later, and finally Ryan made it 16-5 by scoring her second goal with 11 minutes left (assist by Alex Fisher).


That would mark the end of the scoring for Binghamton, as the Buckeyes recored the game's final two goals. For Ryan, the two goals marked the first for the freshman's young career.


Erin McNulty played all 60 minutes in net for the Bearcats, stopping ten shots and causing one turnover. As a team Binghamton went 10-for-19 in the clear game, picked up 15 ground balls, and only trailed in draw controls 13-12.


Binghamton now has some time off until their next competition. They will travel to Niagara to play the Purple Eagles on February 24.


(Courtesy: Binghamton University Athletics)