It's just been that kind of year for the Ohio State Buckeyes.
In the same season its football team won an improbable national championship over heavily favored Miami, its No. 11 women's lacrosse team (14-3) upset a loaded Blue Devils team 10-7 last Thursday in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
Despite playing at home and fielding a team with at least five All-American candidates, No. 4 Duke (13-5) was unable to slow the inspired Buckeye attack.
Heading into the game, Ohio State head coach Sue Stimmel anticipated a well-rounded Blue Devil team. Yet her confidence remained in Ohio State's offensive capabilities.
"The key is to get started right," Stimmel told The Columbus Dispatch before the game. "We need to get our scorers going early. If we can get the first goal, we'll relax and our offense will be there."
Freshman phenom Katie Chrest got the Blue Devils ahead early on, however, and then her older teammates--All-Americans Kate Kaiser and Lauren Gallagher--each scored to give the preseason No. 1 Blue Devils a 3-1 advantage.
But then the luck of the Buckeyes took over.
Ohio State put together six consecutive goals over the final 20 minutes of the opening half and the beginning of the second stanza to take control of the contest with a commanding 7-3 lead. Another Kaiser goal was then nullified by a pair of Buckeye scores, giving the Blue Devils a 9-4 deficit with just 11:04 remaining.
The Blue Devils mounted a small rally, closing to 9-7 on the strength of two Gallagher scores and a goal from Jessica Bennett. Ohio State persevered, however, punctuating the upset with a goal with less than three minutes remaining.
The loss marks the final game for several oft-awarded Blue Devils. Kaiser is one of the most heralded players in ACC lacrosse history; Gallagher is a two-time All-American; Australian World Cup team member Meg Barnett; and significant contributors Erin O'Shaughnessy, Jessica Bennet and Carrie Starr.
Their career was not supposed to end this way, however, in such disappointing and hasty fashion. Duke came into the season as every lacrosse pundit's favorite to win the national title.
They not only had the return of All-American and Tewaaraton Trophy candidate Kaiser from ACL surgery, but also the addition of the nation's top freshman, Chrest. In addition, Duke was healthy across the board and overflowing with talent and confidence. But with yet another strong recruiting class coming in, the Blue Devils will be looking forward to 2004 with a vengeance.
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