By Brian Delaney (theithacajournal.com) -

ITHACA — Rarely, in a postseason meeting of two teams deemed to be relatively even in strength and skill, does the combination of near-flawless execution and near-self-destruction clash as prominently as it did on Saturday.

Left nursing wounds both mentally and physically was Cornell, the bearers of a 15-7 whipping by Ohio State in front of 3,159 stunned fans — and a nationally televised audience — at somber Schoellkopf Field in an NCAA Division I Men’s Lacrosse Tournament first-round game.

“We’ve been on the right side of the scoreboard quite a bit in the last couple of years, because we worked hard and did the little things,” Big Red coach Jeff Tambroni said. “And today was just not one of those days where the ball bounced our way or (we) earned our opportunities for success.”

It was Cornell’s worst NCAA tournament loss since a 17-9 defeat to Brown in 1995.

And it was every bit as stunning as it was thorough.

“It’s easy to say we came out and played a great game,” said Ohio State coach Jim Breschi, all smiles after pocketing the Buckeyes’ first NCAA tournament victory. “We did. These guys executed the game plan.”

Which was, simply, to rattle the Big Red with pressure all over the field. It worked flawlessly.

“We noticed on film throughout the year that no one had really pressured them to get them out of their rhythm, because they’re a rhythm-oriented offensive group,” Breschi said. “We tried to shake it up a little bit.”

In doing so, Ohio State turned a perceived weakness, its defense, into a strength. Spurred by their transition game, five Buckeyes goals were scored by defensive players. Only three of their 15 scores were assisted, a testament to their clear advantage in the athleticism department. That offensive output came on just 29 shots.

“They’ve got a lot of great athletes up and down the field,” Tambroni said.

The reward for Ohio State’s first NCAA victory is a return trip to Ithaca next weekend. The Buckeyes (11-5) will face top-ranked Duke (17-1) in one of two quarterfinal games at Schoellkopf scheduled for noon and 2:30 p.m. on May 18. The other quarterfinal will feature sixth seed Notre Dame against third seed Syracuse, both Sunday winners in their first-round games.

Maybe Ohio State’s first goal foreshadowed what was to come.

After saving a Max Seibald offering, Buckeyes goalie Stefan Schroder raced toward midfield looking to dump the ball to a teammate. But “the Red Sea parted,” as senior attackman Kevin Buchanan quipped afterward, and Schroder ran virtually untouched toward Jake Myers, beating his counterpart 1-on-1 for a 1-0 lead. Ohio State’s second goal was scored shorthanded after Cornell failed to capitalize on a 6-on-4 power play.

John Glynn struck for Cornell less than a minute later, but the Buckeyes quickly reasserted themselves. Joel Dalgarno, Hobart transfer Ryan Jeff and midfielder Peet Poillon scored in succession to close out a 5-1 first quarter. That lead grew to 8-2 early in the second, prompting Tambroni to substitute freshman Mat Martinez for Myers, who made just two saves.

“When your goalie’s struggling, it’s hard on the defense,” Myers said.

Tambroni said he just wanted to give Myers a breather. He did just that, reinserting his senior after two more Ohio State goals inflated the lead to 10-2. But Myers was pulled for good 80 seconds into the second half when defensive midfielder Chris Friel ripped the net a second time to make it 12-2. Junior Kyle Harer finished the game in goal with a sound five saves and three goals allowed, but it was too little, too late.

“When they started rotating goalies a little bit, that means we got them on their heels,” said Buchanan, who scored twice to up his season total to 42 on the year.

Glynn, Seibald and Ryan Hurley each scored two goals for the Big Red, which finished its season at 11-4 just one year after reaching the NCAA semifinals. A significant portion of that roster graduated, leaving Tambroni with a young team forced to play in the 2007 team’s shadow.

Saturday’s performance was the latest in a season of inconsistency.

“After that first quarter, I felt our guys really started tightening up and went against everything that they had stood for in their careers,” Tambroni said. “Which was team offense and help defense, and we really got away from what our signature has been over the last number of years.”

Notes: Cornell now has lost two first-round games in three years. Massachusetts won at Schoellkopf in 2006, 10-9. … Schroder made nine saves. Peet Poillon’s three goals topped Ohio State. Joel Dalgarno had two goals and two assists. … Cornell owned the final edge in faceoffs, 16-9, but lost five of seven in the pivotal first quarter.