Another close game lost, another winning streak snapped.
Northwestern lacrosse dropped its second straight game, falling in its American Lacrosse Conference opener to Ohio State 11-10 in overtime Sunday afternoon at The Horseshoe.
The Buckeyes snapped a 10-game losing streak to Northwestern. The ‘Cats have now lost back-to-back games against teams they have historically dominated. Notre Dame ended its 14-game losing stretch to Northwestern on Thursday.
Buckeye sophomore Cian Dabrowski netted the game winner on the Buckeyes’ first possession of overtime. The Wildcats trailed 10-8 with just over 12 minutes left in regulation, but scored twice in a span of three minutes to force overtime.
NU and Ohio State traded goals early and neither team was able to pull away. NU usually thrives in tight contests, owning a 17-4 record in games decided by two goals or fewer since 2011 before today’s game. However, after two such victories over ranked opponents in the first two weeks of the season, NU has lost two straight games by one goal apiece.
The ‘Cats owned most of the stats sheet except the final score. They outshot OSU 32-21 and grabbed the edge in ground balls won and draw controls.
NU’s winning streak over OSU may have been a bit misleading. The last two times these two teams met before today, NU edged the Buckeyes by just one goal. One of those games was an overtime victory.
This win was OSU head coach Alexis Venechanos' first victory over NU, a team that she coached for three years. She helped NU win its first two national titles in 2005 and 2006 as coach Kelly Amonte Hiller’s assistant before taking the head coach position at Massachusetts in 2007.
Northwestern’s streak of at least one of its players netting a hat trick in a game this season also ended Sunday.
Seniors Kat DeRonda and Alyssa Leonard led NU with two goals each. Leonard added eight more draw controls to her career tally. She needs three more to tie the NCAA record.
Northwestern looks to bounce back from these last two losses Tuesday evening when they battle Michigan at The Big House.