COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State (1-0) women's lacrosse team opened the 2007 season with a 15-3 victory at Robert Morris (0-1) Friday afternoon. OSU's Kristen Slahor (Jr., Ellicott City, Md.) scored a game-high seven points, collecting game-highs of four goals and three assists in the contest. For Robert Morris, Jenn Collins, Kara Blakeley and Ashley Levering each scored a goal for the Colonials.

Ohio State opened the first half by scoring the first six goals of the game. Slahor scored the first goal of the game at 27:25 with an assist from Natale Miller (Sr., West Chester, Pa.). Slahor made it 2-0 with an unassisted goal at 26:31. At 24:22, Amanda Shimp (Jr., Endicott, N.Y.) added an unassisted goal to make it 3-0. Keri Yourick (So, Castle Rock, Colo.), with an assist from Slahor at 21:43, made it 4-0. OSU's fifth goal was scored at 21:35 by Miller, unassisted.

The Buckeyes took a 6-0 lead at 19:18 with a Kelly Haggerty (Fr., West Chester, Pa.) goal, assisted by Slahor. Robert Morris stopped the Buckeye run with a Kara Blakeley goal at 14:00, assisted by Emily Tomlinson. Buckeye Megan Levins (Fr., Hatfield, Pa.) scored on an eight-meter attempt at 10:05 and Slahor added her third goal of the half at 0:49, unassisted, to close out the scoring in the half with Ohio State winning 8-1.

Robert Morris opened the second half by scoring two goals, the first by Levering at 26:55, assisted by Pam Deguffroy and the second at 26:19 by Collins, unassisted to cut the Ohio State lead to 8-3. Ohio State's first goal of the half was an eight-meter attempt by Bethany Carey (Jr., Eldersburg, Md.) at 22:56. Jessica Patane (Jr., Farmingdale, N.Y.) (21:12) and Yourick (17:21) added unassisted goals to take the lead to 11-3.

Slahor scored her fourth goal of the game at 15:45 on an assist by Haggerty. Shimp scored to make it 13-3 with a Miller assist at 13:44. At 10:44, Lauren Sterner scored an unassisted goal and Haggerty's second goal at 6:20, assisted by Slahor, ended the scoring for an Ohio State 15-3 victory.

In goal, OSU's Kristen Gilwee (So., Hunt Valley, Md.) started and played 53:40. She gave up three goals and made six saves. Joy DeMarco (Sr., Hudson, Ohio) played the final 6:20 for the Buckeyes giving up no goals and making no saves. Erica Webb played all 60:00 minutes for the Colonials making 12 saves and giving up 15 goals.

Ohio State will next play Wednesday, March 7 against Duquesne at 4:00 p.m. at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium, weather permitting.

2007-02-23