April 10, 2011
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A late rally fell just short Sunday as the 14th-ranked Vanderbilt women’s lacrosse was defeated, 17-16, by American Lacrosse Conference rival Ohio State.
A one-goal Buckeye lead was stretched to seven by six straight OSU goals that spanned the end of the first half and first six minutes of the second. Vanderbilt would go on a 10-4 run over the next 19 minutes and get within one goal twice in the final minutes, but the Commodores were unable to tie the game and fell to 1-3 in conference play.
Junior Courtney Kirk tied a Vanderbilt record by passing out seven assists in the game. April Tellam dished out seven assists during a 12-point game at Davidson on March 1, 1999.
Kirk, a native of Baltimore, also had a goal to post a VU season-high eight-point game. But OSU’s Brittney Zerhusen scored five goals and added five assists for a game-high 10 points to power the Buckeyes past the Commodores.
Senior Emily Franke and juniors Kendall Pittinger and Alex Priddy each scored three goals for Vanderbilt, while junior All-Ameican Ally Carey and sophomore Carly Linthicum added two apiece. Other goals came from seniors Katherine Denkler and Hannah Clark.
Carey had an outstanding game defensively for the Commodores, forcing four OSU turnovers and picking up five ground balls — both game highs. The Bel Air, Md., product also had a team-best five draw controls.
The Commodores return to Nashville to close out the 2011 regular season with a pair of home games against Florida and Notre Dame. Vanderbilt will then play host to the 2011 ALC Tournament, May 5-7.
