That's about all she wrote. Ohio State HAD to have this victory to sniff the national tournament barring an improbable Big Ten Tournament run. To have Denver drop 17 on you is just the final nail in the coffin. This has been a rough year since opening day, and it's just a matter of going through the motions until The Game. Ohio State and Denver had almost the same number of shots today, but as I mentioned in the preview, Denver makes you take bad looks. The Pios had 18 of their first 21 shots be on goal. That is appalling if you're a Buckeye fan.
With a much less difficult opponent came a much more comfortable victory. Ohio State demolished Detroit Mercy in just about every facet, even after putting in all the subs at halftime. The opening two quarters saw Ohio State limit Detroit Mercy to just 8 shots, and 2 goals on those shots. Skylar Wahlund had little to do, and the Buckeyes are happy to have that. It's been a long stretch of getting shellacked, and the rest will do him good.
The scoreline flatters Ohio State tremendously as the Buckeyes were bested in nearly every facet of the game today. Cornell was dominant from the jump, racing out to a 9-3 halftime lead. Ohio State allowed 60 shots, 31 shots on goal, committed 20 turnovers, only generated 39 shots of their own, and was down at least 4 goals after Q1 until the final minute of the game. This was a beating, even if the scoreline doesn't show it.
We're here. Lacrosse is coming. And it's a whole new era in Columbus. That sweet smell you can almost taste is hope. Genuine hope that this year, FINALLY, the Buckeyes can break through and win a playoff game. Some big wins have occurred in the past few years. But it's time to show that this program isn't a fluke. And candyass staff aside, there's a lot to like about this year's group.