D-I Women's Lacrosse Notes: Torres, Ohio State a 'Fearlessly Weird' Bunch

Ohio State coach Amanda Moore marveled at the opportunity to recruit Jocelyn Torres out of the transfer portal following the 2024 season. It gave Moore a look at a player she considers an All-American talent — but Moore also possessed a coveted second-chance with a goalkeeper she targeted during her tenure at East Carolina.

“Having been a goalie myself, [I] was just a fan, truthfully, of Jocelyn’s play coming out of the high school ranks,” Moore said. “Seeing her enter the portal, [I] was just very excited to have another run, get her on the phone and potentially get her to campus.”

Torres spent her first two seasons with Virginia Tech. There, the Glenwood, Md., native started 37 games and compiled a 19-18 record. After posting 277 saves during her two years in Blacksburg, Torres pursued a potential change of scenery.

The junior netminder said her experience in the portal drew significant parallels to her high school recruitment process. Torres added that having familiarity with Moore helped alleviate the stresses of switching programs and schools.

“Her reputation preceded her, and she helped me be really comfortable in the recruiting process, which I was super grateful for,” Torres said. “I felt like she was someone I could trust. She’s very personable, and we got off to a great start.”

About eight months after Torres announced her move to Columbus, the goalkeeper made her debut in scarlet and gray against then-No. 16 Denver on Feb. 9. Torres tallied 11 saves as the Buckeyes took down the Pioneers 9-5.

Torres said she was “mind-blown” by her defense’s performance in the season opener.

“The message after that game was, ‘Yes we won a good game. That was a tough game, and we did a good job, but we want more,” Torres said. “The standards keep getting raised with each practice and each game.”

Now, the Buckeyes have flown to a 4-0 start. They have allowed just 23 goals during that span.

In a standout road display Saturday at Vanderbilt, Torres recorded a season-high 14 saves in a 14-8 victory. Moore said her goalkeeper’s assimilation to the program continues to impress with each passing practice and game.

“She’s just got such a quiet confidence about her,” Moore said. “She’s super competitive. We’re a fearlessly weird bunch, and I think Jocelyn just bought into that. She is her authentic, vulnerable self, day in and day out with us.”

Moore, who took over the Ohio State program ahead of last season, said she aspires to build the Buckeyes into a sisterhood that competes with “faith and fire for a championship culture.”

While Ohio State fielded one of the Big Ten’s youngest squads last season, Moore said her returners — alongside key newcomers like Torres — have forged a sturdy foundation to build upon throughout the fall and preseason.

Torres said the team reached an inflection point during the fall’s Notre Dame play day, where the Buckeyes competed against Notre Dame, Michigan and Louisville in a two-day span. From there, the goalkeeper discovered how Ohio State possessed remarkable room for growth.

“We’re still trying to make a name for ourselves each week,” Torres said. “Each week it’s like, ‘Yeah we won that game, but who cares?’ No one cares unless we keep winning and keep improving.”

THE CASE FOR STANFORD

More than 1,000 days separated Jordyn Case’s final high school game in 2021 and her college debut last season.

The Stanford attacker suffered a torn ACL during her freshman year, then she sustained the same injury before the 2023 season. Almost 3,000 miles west of her hometown of Charlotte, N.C., Case endured a rehabilitation process that put every facet of her resolve to the test.

“I just hope it’s an inspiration because ACL injuries are super common with all female athletes, but especially lacrosse,” Case said of her recovery. “It has made me a lot more grateful that my body can play. In games, I’m thinking, “I’m here, might as well go all out.’”

During the Cardinal’s ACC opener Saturday, Case tallied a game-high five points and pulled down seven draw controls as now-No. 7 Stanford knocked off then-No. 5 Virginia 13-7. The victory marked the Cardinal’s first-ever top-10 win under coach Danielle Spencer.

Spencer said Case’s Charlottesville clinic provided a mere glimpse of what she sees from the redshirt junior every day in practice.

“[Case] has fought for everything,” Spencer said. “She embodies resilience for our team. When you have a captain like that, how can that not impact the other players on the team with their preparation and mentality?”

With Stanford making its first cross-country trip of the season, Spencer’s squad shifted its scheduling accordingly. Players participated in early morning lifts and prepared for a 9 a.m. Pacific Time opening draw against the Cavaliers.

About a half-dozen players took midterms on the road as they studied a program the Cardinal had come up short against in three consecutive seasons.

“We have a really young team this year, so we went into [the game] with an underdog mentality,” Case said. “There was no pressure on us to win this game, so the message was just to have fun. It allowed us to be loose and end up playing really well.”

In its inaugural ACC tilt, Stanford stared down the barrel of a 3-0 deficit. Through the first 10 minutes, Virginia appeared a step ahead on its home field.

For Spencer, the moment exemplified a point she’d preached throughout the week.

“We were the clear underdogs,” Spencer said. “I really tried to encourage the team, ‘You have nothing to lose, so play to win.’ We want that idea of playing to win to be our performance mindset, rather than playing not to lose. The UVA game was a natural fit for that performance mentality we’re seeking in every game and every opponent.”

From that point, the Cardinal ripped off a 6-0 scoring run. Behind Case and Aliya Polisky, the young Stanford attack unleashed its star-studded firepower. Case scored four goals and dished an assist, while Polisky posted another four goals to extend her season tally to 17.

Meanwhile, the Cardinal conceded single-digit goals for the third time in four games. Spencer said her team’s stout defense affords its attack a far greater margin for error, with goalkeeper Lucy Pearson playing a pivotal role in the unit’s success.

“Our offense has grown so much being able to play our defense, and vice versa for our defense,” Case said. “Our ceiling is just extremely high. Given how young our team is, we have so much growth and potential this year and in the future.”

Although Stanford entered a new conference this season and has seen several newcomers step into key roles, Spencer said the mission remains the same — compete for championships.

Spencer added that her returners remember the feeling of last season’s 13-12 NCAA tournament loss to Denver, and the newcomers felt similar sentiments while tuning in. That result has only added more fuel to the fire.

“That feeling where there was still a lot left on the table fueled this extra drive and edge with the group this year,” Spencer said. “They’re just really bought in.”

BY THE NUMBERS

8 • Goals per game by No. 6 Syracuse in its two matchups sans Olivia Adamson (down from 18 goals per game with Adamson in the lineup).

0 • Goals allowed by No. 4 Yale in its 21-0 win over Central Connecticut — the 2025 season’s first shutout.

17 • Draw controls won by Michigan freshman Emma Burke against Marquette, a single-game program record.

5 • North Carolina players recorded at least three points in the Tar Heels’ 16-8 win over Syracuse.