COLUMBUS, Ohio - The 2010 Ohio State men's lacrosse schedule features seven games in Columbus, highlighted by the third annual "Showdown in the Shoe" which features the Buckeyes, now members of the ECAC Lacrosse League, taking on conference-foe Air Force April 24 in Ohio Stadium. Four of the team's non-conference opponents were NCAA tournament participants a season ago in North Carolina, Notre Dame, Villanova and Massachusetts.

"This may very well be our toughest schedule to date," Nick Myers, Ohio State head coach, said. "We are excited to begin play in the ECAC. The new non-conference teams on our slate, including Villanova, Massachusetts and Albany, will bring tough competition to Columbus and prepare us for our first year in the always-tough ECAC. We were able to maintain our series with Notre Dame even though we are in different conferences now and will start a home-and-home matchup with North Carolina. We are looking forward to the challenge the 2010 schedule presents."

The Buckeyes open the 2010 slate with a home game against 2009 Colonial Athletic Association champion Villanova Feb. 13, with the Wildcats, now members of the Big East, making their first trip to Columbus. After a game at Bucknell Feb. 20 Ohio State returns home for a game vs. 2009 ECAC tournament champion Massachusetts, now a CAA member, Feb. 27. It will serve as the first matchup between the schools.

The following week Penn State comes to town (March 6). The Nittany Lions, now members of the CAA, are the only other Big Ten school to sponsor men's lacrosse. The teams have met each of the last six years for the unofficial "Big Ten championship."

A road trip to Robert Morris March 9 follows before a home game against Albany of the America East Conference, the first game in history between the teams. Ohio State will then hit the road for five-consecutive games. The trip begins with a game at Notre Dame, the 2009 Great Western Lacrosse League champion, who now is a member of the Big East, March 20.

Ohio State opens conference play in the ECAC against Fairfield March 23, followed by a game at Quinnipiac four days later (March 27). April starts with league games at Loyola April 3 and Hobart April 10 and the Buckeyes return home to host Denver April 17.

The third-annual "Showdown in the Shoe" is April 24 and features the Buckeyes taking on Air Force in a conference matchup at 11 a.m. The event has set national attendance records in each of its first two years, with more than 30,000 fans watching Ohio State face Notre Dame in 2009. A home game against Bellarmine May 1 wraps up ECAC action for the Buckeyes.

The final game of the season is May 8 at North Carolina in the first half of a home-and-home series between the teams.

Ohio State Men's Lacrosse 2010 Schedule
February
Sat. 6  at Duke (scrimmage)
Sat. 13 VILLANOVA        1 p.m.
Sat. 20 at Bucknell      Noon
Sat. 27 UMASS            Noon
March
Sat.  6 PENN STATE       1 p.m.
Tues. 9 at Robert Morris 3 p.m.
Fri. 12 ALBANY           7 p.m.
Sat. 20 at Notre Dame    1 p.m.
Tues. 23 at Fairfield*   7 p.m.
Sat. 27 at Quinnipiac*   Noon
April
Sat. 3 at Loyola*        2 p.m.
Sat. 10 at Hobart*       1 p.m.
Sat. 17 DENVER*          1 p.m.
Sat. 24 AIR FORCE*       11 a.m.
May
Sat. 1 BELLARMINE*       1 p.m.
Sat. 8 at North Carolina Noon
*ECAC game