OU lacrosse player scores record goals

by Tim Pappa
Staff Writer

Good things come in big packages, too.

Ohio lacrosse midfielder Lindsey Hart delivered a big package to the Mercyhurst Lakers Friday afternoon by scoring a school-record and national season-high 10 goals in a 21-10 win.

The Bobcats (6-6) put some extra gas into their winning ways by adding a fifth game to their win streak. Ohio's win was revenge plus one, avenging a 20-6 loss to the Lakers (8-3) last season.

"We were extremely pumped for this game," defender Katie Peksa said. "We were killed by this team last year, so we were ready to come out and show them what we could do."

Mercyhurst began the game by taking a two-goal lead, but the pieces of the puzzle began to fit together once Hart registered Ohio's first goal of the game at the 28:20 mark.

Ohio used an 8-0 run to end the first half; the Lakers would not take the lead for the rest of the game.

Defender Catherine Leahy said Ohio carried out one of its goals of the year - playing hard through the whole game.

"We played with one hundred percent intensity entering this game," Peksa said. "We did not let up for the entire 60 minutes. We all really connected."

Hart continued to score in the second half, scoring another four goals, her last came at the 1:32 mark.

"The thing that made this game stand out from all the others this season was that everything finally came together," coach Anne Moelk said. "Every aspect - physically, mentally, offensively and defensively - it all came together.

"They were not thinking so much about everything this time. They were just having a great time."

Midfielder Becky Oxman and attacker Alyssa Trocher complemented Hart's 10-goal surge, adding a three-goal performance each.

"A lot of teams go by what they hear and just defend the names they hear about in the papers," Peksa said. "But all those teams underestimate us. They don't realize we have a lot of other threats. There is no way they can shut us all down."

Goaltender Jennifer Cassidy minded the nets again for the Bobcats, securing the fifth straight win with eight saves.

Ohio faces Niagara at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday at the AstroTurf Field.