It’s a new year and a new women’s lacrosse season, but GW’s team still seems to be dealing with the same problems.

Last year, the Colonials had repeated troubled coming out of the gate in matches, falling behind early multiple times en route to a losing season.

In Sunday’s season opener against Ohio State, it was second verse, same as the first. The Colonials found themselves 5-0 down to the Buckeyes after only eight minutes, and lost by a final score of 14-9 at the Mount Vernon Athletics Complex.

“The defense had a great game, our plays worked well, but there were just a few too many turnovers,” said junior Taylor Donohue. “I don’t think (Ohio State) was a better team, I just think we ended up beating ourselves.”

One bright spot for GW (0-1) was the play of Donohue, whose six goals in the contest equaled the second-highest single-game total in program history. Even more importantly, three of those goals came after Ohio State’s opening onslaught, giving GW an opportunity to make a game of it in the second half.

“I knew that if we didn’t change something, we were just gonna get killed,” Donohue said. “I tried to get the momentum on our side and get the team going and it worked, for a little bit.”

But then GW once again found themselves struggling out of the starting gate. The Colonials were forced to begin the second half down one player after a late yellow card in the first half, and Ohio State responded with four straight goals to open the second stanza.

“We came out a little flat and that’s definitely what made the difference in the game,” Donohue said.

Though temporary relief was provided with freshman Megan Seidman’s first collegiate goal, Ohio State simply could not be stopped on the offensive end. The Buckeyes rattled off three straight goals after Seidman’s tally, giving them an eight-point lead with 15 minutes to play.

It was a lead that never really looked to be in serious danger, despite Donohue’s best efforts in the closing stages of the game. The Villanova, Pa., native once again scored three straight goals to give the Colonials some hope, but it was too little, too late as Ohio State easily drained the clock to end the contest.

Behind the losing scoreline are some less-than-impressive stats. GW was out-shot 33-18, turned the ball over 22 times to Ohio State’s 13, and received all four of the game’s yellow cards. However, there were GW positives besides Donohue. The Colonials lead 17-8 in draw controls, a point of emphasis last season, and sophomore goalkeeper Liz Hoffman put in an admirable performance with 12 saves.

The Colonials can also take pride in the quality of their competition – Ohio State is currently ranked just outside the nation’s top 20, and had beaten American 17-7 only two days before facing GW.

The team will return to action this Saturday in Washington, D.C., as they take on local rivals Georgetown at the Hoyas’ Multi-Sport Field.