COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Duquesne women's lacrosse team battled Ohio State to the wire in the 2020 season opener on Friday night, but the Dukes fell just short in an 11-9 defeat to the Buckeyes at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. 

Rilee Bradshaw (Middletown, Md. / Middletown) picked up right where she left off as Duquesne's leading goal scorer in 2019, tallying a game-high four goals to go with four draw controls and three ground balls. 

Kirsten Barnes (Brielle, N.J. / Manasquan) netted a hat trick for the Dukes with three draw controls, while Michaela Connolly (Sykesville, Md. / Century) had a goal, an assist and three ground balls for Duquesne. 

The Dukes jumped out to a 3-0 lead with goals by Barnes, Connolly and Bradshaw. 

Ohio State responded with five of the next six goals to take a 5-4 lead at the half. The Buckeyes pushed their run to 9-1 with four straight goals to start the second frame. 

Duquesne answered with two consecutive goals from Barnes and Carlee Braverman (Laurel, N.J. / Lenape) to shrink the margin to 9-6 with 14:22 remaining. 

Ohio State countered with two goals of its own to retake a five-goal lead at 11-6 just over three minutes later. 

The Dukes would net three straight in the final 11 minutes, including two goals from Bradshaw and one from Barnes, but could not overcome the deficit in the 11-9 loss. 

Duquesne outshot the Buckeyes 34-28, with shots on goal at an even 21-21. The Dukes also held a 12-9 advantage on draw controls in the contest. 

NEXT UP 
Duquesne opens its 2020 home slate on Wednesday, Feb. 12 hosting Canisius at 3 p.m. at Arthur J. Rooney Field. The Golden Griffins dropped a 21-6 decision at Syracuse on Friday night.