April 17, 2008

By Nick Bechtel The Lantern

April 17, 2008

Columbus, OH (UWIRE) -- When asked if he was excited for the next game, senior midfielder Kevin Buchanan had one word: "Absolutely."

Saturday, Buchanan and the No. 11 Ohio State lacrosse team (8-3, 3-0 Great Western Lacrosse League) will host No. 17 Denver in Ohio Stadium. The team hopes to break the all-time attendance record of 52,004.

"That's absurd," Buchanan said. "It's going to be pretty crazy."

The record was set May 26 at the NCAA semifinals in Baltimore. Duke defeated Cornell, 12-11.

"I've never played in front of more than 3,000," sophomore midfielder James Green said. Like most of the team, Green expects to see the largest crowd of his career this weekend.

Coach Joe Breschi has some experience coaching in large venues. In 1994 as an assistant coach at Brown University, Breschi coached with 45,000 fans in attendance at the NCAA semifinals.

"The kids are excited," Breschi said. "If we get some 'O-H-I-O' cheers out there, we'll be thrilled."

Big Win in Baltimore "It was the marquee win this year," Green said of the Buckeye's 14-11 victory against then-No. 8 North Carolina on Saturday in Baltimore. The win was the first over the Tar Heels in OSUs history.

"We've kind of had a curse on them and we finally got over that," Buchanan said. "It's a huge win and we're all pumped up."

Buchanan led the team with five goals, while sophomore attacker Mario Ventiquattro scored three.

"For us to go out there and compete as we did, they have to put their heart and soul into every play," Breschi said. "We played smart, we played physical and we played fast. We dominated the game."

The Buckeyes have two games remaining before the GWLL tournament. After hosting Denver this weekend, the Buckeyes will travel to No. 13 Notre Dame.

"We've been riding high over the last few games. We've done well," Green said. "Hopefully things continue to go well in the Denver game."

Best of the Week A pair of Buckeyes, one coach and one player, were honored last week for their outstanding performances.

Breschi received the US Coach of the Week award, given to the top men's and women's lacrosse coaches.

Breschi said he sees the award as a credit to the entire staff more than an individual achievement and thanked his assistant coaches for their efforts.

"I think from a coaching staff standpoint, they are all coaches of the week," Bruschi said. "From a team standpoint, the kids executed. Everybody looks good when the kids execute."

While he complimented the program, the players gave their head coach similar accolades.

"I'm sure (Breschi) will downplay it," Green said, "but he obviously did a great job in the UNC game and I think he really kept us together."

Buchanan won the GWLL Player of the Week award. It is his second of the year and fourth of his career. The midfielder had 12 points against Bellarmine and Air Force.

"It's a great honor," Buchanan said, "but I'm more happy for my team and the huge wins we had."

Nick Bechtel can be reached at bechtel.42@osu.edu.

(C) 2008 The Lantern via UWIRE