Prior to Sunday's date in Columbus, Ohio State had not beaten Vanderbilt in 10 years. The No. 10 Commodores were riding a six-game winning streak, with an average margin of victory of over nine goals.
For senior day, the Buckeyes had other ideas.
In a closely contested match, Ohio State defeated Vanderbilt 15-13. The squads traded scores throughout, as neither held greater than a four-goal advantage.
Sophomore Katherine Denkler put the Commodores ahead early, connecting with the first of her three goals to give the visitors a 2-1 lead just past the 25-minute mark.
However, the Buckeyes subsequently stormed past Vanderbilt on a 5-1 run over the next 10 minutes. Sophomore midfielder Meghan Beaudrault spearheaded the stretch, adding two goals.
The Commodores answered with their own 3-0 sequence to close out the opening half and move into the final period. Less than one minute into the second session, freshman Ally Carey's first score tied the contest at 6-6.
Vanderbilt continued to trade off goals with the Buckeyes, standing deadlocked at 9-9 with less than 20 minutes remaining.
Yet, Ohio State responded with another 5-1 effort to hold the largest edge of the afternoon, at four. Senior Rachel Hawes notched two of her five goals over the spell, the final of which put the hosts in command, 14-10.
But State could not put the Commodores away. Vanderbilt closed the gap, on the heels of a 3-0 run. Carey's second goal, with three minutes to play, yielded a 14-13 tally.
Coach Cathy Swezey's unit could not bridge the separation. With 44 seconds left in regulation, freshman Alex Priddy's attempt was rebuffed by Ohio State goalie Kristen Gilwee.
Buckeye Alayna Markwordt connected at the horn for the final tally.
The Commodores will return to Nashville, for the home finale against Notre Dame on Wednesday. The following Tuesday, April 21, Vanderbilt closes its regular season at Cornell.
