May 2, 2012
Tournament Central | Game Notes | | Gatorvision
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Fifth seed Vanderbilt will face off against fourth seed Ohio State Thursday in the second quarterfinal game of the 2012 American Lacrosse Conference Tournament at Donald R. Dizney Stadium on the campus of the University of Florida.
The game is scheduled to begin at approximately 6 p.m. CT, after the conclusion of the 3 vs. 6 matchup that pits Penn State against Johns Hopkins.
Vanderbilt (8-7, 1-4 ALC) and Ohio State (10-5, 1-4 ALC) ended the regular season in a three-way tie with Johns Hopkins for fourth place in the ALC. Ohio State earned the four seed by posting the lowest goals against average in league games, with Vanderbilt then beating out Hopkins for fifth thanks to the Commodores’ head-to-head victory.
This season marks the sixth playing of the ALC Tournament, but represents the first time that the tournament’s champion will receive an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament. Vanderbilt has a 3-2 record in ALC Tournament games played on a neutral field, as Thursday’s game with OSU will be. The Commodores will be looking to avenge a loss to Ohio State in the 2011 ALC Tournament in Nashville. Thursday’s game is only the second postseason matchup between the schools.
Vanderbilt and Ohio State each are led by of Tewaaraton Award nominee. Vanderbilt senior Ally Carey is a two-time first-team All-American and leads the ALC in draw controls, averaging five per game. OSU’s Alayna Markwordt leads the league in scoring with 82 points through 15 games.
The winner of the VU-OSU game will face home standing Florida, the conference’s top seed, in Friday’s semifinal. That game also is scheduled for a 6 p.m. CT start. Northwestern awaits the winner of Thursday’s other quarterfinal. Saturday’s championship game is scheduled for 11 a.m. CT. Florida is offering free live video of all five games of the tournament.