Bulldogs Return to GWLL Play, Host Ohio State Saturday

April 7, 2005

BACK TO WORK: Butler carries a two-game winning streak and 4-3 overall record into Saturday's contest against Great Western Lacrosse League opponent Ohio State (2-5). The noon (CT) start concludes the Bulldogs' three-game homestand and returns the team to GWLL play after two straight contests against non-league foes. Butler is 0-1 in GWLL action. The Butler Bowl is the site for the face-off.

LAST TIME OUT: Freshman Jason Donati scored three goals and added two assists Saturday, leading the Bulldogs to a 15-9 win over visiting Robert Morris at the Butler Bowl in Indianapolis. Rookie attackman Nick Vosburgh also had five points on two goals and three helpers.

THROWN INTO THE FIRE: Freshmen Jason Donati and Nick Vosburgh each posted career-high five-point performances against Robert Morris Saturday. They are two of the team's four newcomers that occupy spots in the top five of Butler's scoring list. Rookie Grant Albertson leads the team with 12 goals and 17 points. He is followed by freshman Cliff Smith, Donati, senior Kyle Tietjen and Vosburgh.

FIRST W: Sophomore Ryan Kaiser got the start in goal against Robert Morris and responded with his first win as a Bulldog. He made nine saves in the team's 15-9 win over the Colonials. On the season, Kaiser is 1-1 with a .512 save percentage in five appearances. While he didn't pick up the win March 30 against Bellarmine, he did close out the game with several key saves in the 8-7 victory.

A LOOK AT THE BUCKEYES: Ohio State, the defending GWLL champion, enters Saturday's game with a record of 2-5. The match-up with Butler will be the first GWLL contest of the Buckeyes' 2005 campaign. Junior Ben Wolff leads the Buckeyes with 11 goals and 14 points. Freshman Mike Rimmer has started five of the team's seven games in goal. Head coach Joe Breschi is in his eighth year at OSU.

PICK IT UP: Sophomore long-stick midfielder Brendan Flanagan had a game-high six ground balls in Saturday's win, pushing his team-leading total to 32 on the season. Face-off specialist Phil Brauch is second with 26 pick-ups. Junior captain Steve Forsythe has 21 ground balls on the year.

Butler coach Stan Ross

STAN THE MAN: Head coach Stan Ross is in his first year on the Butler sidelines, arriving in Indianapolis after six seasons as the top assistant at Towson. While at Towson, Ross helped to lead the Tigers to three NCAA Tournament appearances. Ross was also a part of the coaching staff at Princeton when the team won the 1998 national championship. He is the third coach in Butler lacrosse history. Ross was a stand-out midfielder at Loyola (Md.) College and graduated in 1996.

THREE'S COMPANY: A win Saturday would give the Bulldogs the team's first three-game winning streak since the 1999 season, the last under coach Jon Hind. This is the eighth time the team has won back-to-back games since the last three-game streak.

THE SERIES: Butler owns an 8-4 advantage in the school's series with Ohio State, but the Buckeyes have claimed victories in the last three contests. Ohio State posted a 15-14 win in 1993 (the first season of Butler lacrosse) before the Bulldogs took the next eight meetings before Ohio State's recent run. Five of the 12 games have been decided by one goal, including two that have gone into overtime. Ohio State won 12-5 last season in Columbus, Ohio.

COMMON GROUND: Butler and Ohio State have played three common non-GWLL opponents so far this season and each sports a 1-2 record against those foes. Both teams topped Quinnipiac, while dropping contests against nationally-ranked Duke and Hobart. In addition to the teams' GWLL opponents, Ohio State next travels to Robert Morris, the team Butler defeated in its last outing.

FAMILIAR FOE: Current Butler assistant coach Nick Myers spent the 2002 and 2003 seasons as an offensive assistant coach at Ohio State under coach Joe Breschi. The Buckeyes went 9-5 in each of Myers' two seasons on staff.

UP NEXT: Butler takes its last excursion from GWLL play Sunday, April 17, heading east to face perennial national power Princeton. Butler coach Stan Ross spent one season on the Princeton coaching staff, helping the team to a national championship in 1998. That game is the first of three straight on the road before the Bulldogs return home to face league foe Fairfield in the season finale April 29.

NEED MORE INFO?: Up-to-date statistics, recaps and an online version of the 2005 Butler Lacrosse Media Guide can be found on www.butlersports.com.