Bucknell University
Ohio State
Bucknell Women's Lax Stuns No. 22 Ohio State, 18-17
3/28/2008 8:00:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
March 28, 2008
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- As an All-American at Duke, Caline McHenry was used to beating nationally ranked teams. Now the first-year head coach has brought a taste of it to Bucknell for the first time. Sophomore Paige Kasschau (Rockville Centre, N.Y./South Side) scored the game-winning goal -- her career-high sixth tally of the night -- with 3:07 left and the Bison stunned No. 22 Ohio State 18-17 Friday night at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.
Bucknell's first-ever win over a top-25 foe seemed unlikely when the Buckeyes scored twice in just seven seconds to take an 11-3 lead with nine minutes left in the first half.
The Bison trailed 13-7 at the half but got the first five of the second period to get back in the game. Two straight goals by Sarah Collins (Goldens Bridge, N.Y./John Jay) finally tied the game at 15-all, but Ohio State jumped back ahead with two in row of its own.
Undaunted, Bucknell rallied for the win by scoring the last three of the night. Alison Heffernan (Malvern, Pa./Agnes Irwin School) scored off a feed from Carol Donohue (West Babylon, N.Y./West Babylon) with 5:04 to play. Freshman Julia Braun (Tomkins Cove, N.Y./North Rockland), who had a game-high eight draw controls, tied with an unassisted goal with 4:31 left. And with 3:07 to play Heffernan fed Kasschau for the game-winner.
Braun gathered the ensuing draw and the Bison were able to drain a large chunk of the clock, but a turnover with about 30 seconds to play made from some tense moments. Bucknell survived an 8-meter attempt with 12 seconds to play, and after another minor foul with 0:03 left, Kristen Slahor could not get off a final shot.
"I've never seen a team come out of the locker room [at halftime] with so much energy," said McHenry. "This was a total team effort, from the starters to the players cheering on the sidelines. It was just an incredible effort."
It was a marked turnaround from the 2007 season finale, when the Bison were blasted 17-4 at home by the Buckeyes.
Kasschau was coming off a four-goal game in Tuesday's win at La Salle, and she continued her scoring spree with three goals in each half against an Ohio State team whose only losses were to No. 1 Northwestern and No. 11 Notre Dame.
She was hardly the only hero for the Orange & Blue. Donohue logged three goals and four assists and has now scored at least five points in four of six games this season.
Collins and Heffernan both finished with three goals and one assist, while Bonnie Buechel (South Orange, N.J./Columbia) also had four points on two goals and two assists. Collins scored a big one with 13 seconds left in the first half, giving Bucknell some momentum going into intermission.
Brittney Zerhusen scored a school-record seven goals for Ohio State, all in the first half. The Bison shut down the Buckeyes' high-powered attack in the second half, outscoring them 11-4 after the break.
Kasschau and Donohue combined to score all five goals in Bucknell's 5-0 run to start the second half, bringing the Bison within 13-12.
Alyssa DeLorenz (Garland, Texas/Plano East) stopped 10 shots in the Bucknell cage, while her counterpart Annie Carruthers made seven saves.
Bucknell, which has won two straight to get to 4-3 on the season, won 12 of the 16 second-half draws and finished with a 12-16 advantage on the night. Ohio State (6-3) outshot Bucknell 34-29, but the Bison had a 16-10 edge in the second half.
The Bison will not have much time to rejoice in the historic win, as they wrap up their four-game road trip on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Robert Morris. Bucknell will be looking to avenge a 9-8 home loss to the Colonials last season, when Robert Morris tossed in the game-winning goal from near midfield as time expired.
