Buckeyes Captain and Defenseman Cullen Brown (42) keeps stride with a Bellarmine midfielder. Brown played a key part in the Buckeyes’ win over Bellarmine, holding them to 6 points in the game. Credit: Liam Ahern | Sports Photo Editor
Ohio State men’s lacrosse has shown a clear pattern through its first three games of the 2026 season.
Slow starts and fast finishes.
That trend continuedTuesday afternoon, as the Buckeyes overcame another sluggish opening frame before surging past Bellarmine 11–6 in their first-season game at the Ohio State Lacrosse Stadium.
The Buckeyes, now 3–0, fell behind by two goals in the first quarter.
Veteran defenseman and captain, Cullen Brown, said despite the slow start the team was able to bounce back.
“[The team] didn’t come out to a good start but the response factor is pretty good,” Brown said. “I think it just speaks to how the guys responded.”
Ohio State’s spark came from attackman Jackson Birtwistle, who while falling backward, scored a goal that cut the deficit in half and ignited the Buckeyes’ offense.
Alex Marinier, who has now scored in six straight games, buried the equalizer to close the first quarter tied 2–2.
Attackman Khalif Hocker scored three goals and added an assist, including back‑to‑back second‑quarter strikes that pushed Ohio State ahead of Bellarmine 5–2.
The Buckeyes dominated the second half, outscoring Bellarmine 6–2 and controlling possession through faceoff specialist Jack Oldman, who entered the game leading the Big Ten in faceoff wins and win percentage. His work behind Bellarmine’s net helped Ohio State generate 44 shots, 27 of which were on goal, while holding the Knights to just 22 total shot attempts.
Head coach Nick Myers expressed that he was not satisfied with his team’s performance despite the victory.
“You know I don’t think anyone will be happy with the way we executed on any facet of the game,” Myers said. “But, certainly an area of the game and a lot of areas we can look at to grow and certainly get better.”
Ohio State will travel west for its first road game of the season Saturday against Air Force.
