Buckeyes Open 2023 Season at Home Against Air Force

ADDITIONAL INFO: Stadium Policies | Schedule | Roster

Ohio State vs. Air Force
Date: Saturday, Feb. 4
Time: Noon ET
Venue: Ohio State Lacrosse Stadium
Watch: B1G+ ($)
Live Stats: Statbroadcast
Game Notes: Ohio State | Air Force
Rosters: Ohio State | Air Force

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State men’s lacrosse team is set to begin the 2023 season this weekend against Air Force. The Buckeyes and Falcons meet for the first official game in Ohio State Lacrosse Stadium Saturday at noon.

The game will be streamed on B1G+ (subscription required). Live stats are available on the men’s lacrosse schedule page on OhioStateBuckeyes.com.

 Briefly on the Buckeyes

• Saturday’s game marks the first men’s lacrosse home-opener that will be held outdoors since 2008. The Buckeyes are set to play the 2023 season at Ohio State Lacrosse Stadium.
• Ohio State has 17 players who saw action in 12 or more games last year returning to the roster this season, including starters Jason Knox Jack Myers, Colby Smith, Jacob Snyder, Skylar Wahlund and Scott White.
• Myers, Smith, Wahlund and White elected to return for the 2023 season to play their fifth year of eligibility.
• Attackmen Myers, Smith and White helped the Buckeyes to top-20 marks in scoring margin (2.00), scoring offense (13.62), man-up offense (.556) and shot percentage (.333) last season.
• Myers is Ohio State’s active career leader with 194 points. He is just six points shy of becoming the sixth player in program history to reach 200 career points.
• On defense, the team has familiar faces in 2022 U21 World Champion Jacob Snyder and 2022 Big Ten Freshman of the Year Bobby Van Buren. Senior Stephen Zupicich, who played every game last season, led the team in 2022 with 13 caused turnovers.
• Drew Blanchard returns as the most experienced on the faceoff for the Buckeyes, going 60-of-110 (.545) last season.
• Ohio State returns both goalies who saw playing time last season in Caton Johnson and Wahlund. Wahlund led the way with a .525 save percentage in 2022 and a 7-4 record. Johnson earned a .472 save percentage and a 3-2 record in seven starts last season.
• The Buckeyes’ 2023 roster features players from 16 states and two Canadian provinces. Twelve of the 50 players on the roster hail from Ohio with the next most players (6) coming from Maryland.
• Seventeen players will wear the Scarlet & Gray for the first time this season, including 12 freshmen and five transfers.
• In the Big Ten preseason poll, Ohio State was picked to finish second by conference head coaches. Announced with the poll were the 2023 Players to Watch, which included Myers, Marcus Hudgins and Bobby Van Buren.
• The Buckeyes were picked 11th in both the Inside Lacrosse and USILA preseason polls.
• Ahead of the 2023 season, Ohio State placed four players on preseason All-America lists. Myers was named a second team honoree on all three of the lists: USILA, USA Lacrosse Magazine and Inside Lacrosse. Hudgins and Van Buren were recognized on both the Inside Lacrosse and USA Lacrosse Magazine lists as honorable mention awardees. Connor Cmeil also picked up an honorable mention nod from Inside Lacrosse.
• Head coach Nick Myers begins his 15th season at the helm of the Buckeyes. He has a record of 120-89 leading Ohio State. The Buckeyes are 12-2 under Coach Myers in season-openers.
• Saturday is the first of seven home games this year for Ohio State. The team will host four opponents who are ranked in preseason polls, including No. 1 Maryland, No. 4 Cornell, No. 10 Rutgers and No. 20 North Carolina.

Scouting Air Force

• Air Force earned an 8-7 record last season. The Falcons finished 3-2 in ASUN conference play.
• Brandon Dodd, the team’s leading scorer in 2022, earned preseason All-ASUN honors. The senior ranked seventh in the nation in goals per game (3.29) and 20th nationally for points per game (4.93) last year.
• The Falcons are led by head coach Bill Wilson, who enters his fifth season with the team this year.

Milestone Tracker

• Jack Myers is six points from 200 for his career. He is also seven assists away from 100 for his career, which would make him the fourth player in program history to reach the century mark.
• Myers is currently on a 39-game point streak, dating back to March 31, 2019 against Rutgers.

Ohio State Lacrosse Stadium

• Ohio State lacrosse has a new home in the state-of-the-art Ohio State Lacrosse Stadium.
• The stadium features 360-degree vantage points, a state-of-the-art heated turf, a first-class training room and more.
• Ohio State Lacrosse Stadium is located on the north end of the Ohio State Athletics District, between the Jennings Wrestling Facility and Ty Tucker Tennis Center and across from the Schumaker Complex on Irving Schottenstein Dr.
• For more information on the stadium, click HERE.

Ohio State Men’s Lacrosse Tickets
To purchase tickets and/or for more information on Ohio State men’s lacrosse tickets, click HERE. For information on group tickets and experiences, contact the Ohio State Athletic Ticket Sales Team at 1-800-GOBUCKS or email Athletic.tix@osu.edu to speak with an account executive.

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