Around the Oval is Eleven Warriors' weekly love letter to Ohio State sports that don't get the coverage they should.
Taylor Sherwin is your athlete of the weekOhio Stadium was packed Saturday afternoon for the football team's 40-20 season opening victory over the Buffalo Bulls. While that may have been the biggest event of the last week, a lot has happened in other Buckeye sports since last Wednesday.
The Ohio State women's soccer team, led by coach Lori Walker, continued their strong start to the 2013 season last week.
They went 1-0-1 last week and are now 3-0-1 for the season. Their victory came over the Pittsburgh Panthers (2-0) and the draw against the Arizona Wildcats (0-0).
Freshmen Alexis Degler scored the first goal of her career, while junior BYU transfer Kayla Varner scored her first goal as a Buckeye in the showdown against Pitt.
The 24th ranked Bucks will hit the road tomorrow to take on Boston College.
Join us after the jump to learn more about The Ohio State University's smaller sports.
Men's Soccer
The Ohio State men's soccer team opened their season with a 1-1 record at the John and Iris Wolstein Classic last weekend.
They took a 2-1 double-overtime loss to UNC Wilmington Friday night. The lone goal was scored by senior Sage Gardner. The Scarlet and Gray played shorthanded for the last minute of the game and all of overtime.
Their fortune was better Sunday, as they topped Northern Illinois 2-0 for their first win of the season. Senior Alex Harrison and junior Ryan Ivancic were the goal scorers in the game, their first goals as Buckeyes.
College golf gets underway this weekendThe Bucks are set to take on ninth ranked Tulsa and Southern Methodist this weekend as part of the Hurricane Classic in Tulsa, Okla.
Women's Volleyball
The 23rd ranked women's volleyball team kicked off their season with a bang, going 3-0 last week.
They took their season opener against Liberty winning 3-0 (25-22, 25-22, 26-24). Senior Kaitlyn Leary led the Bucks with 21 kills.
OSU followed their win with a close victory over Wisconsin Green-Bay the very next day. Junior Taylor Sherwin played a big role in the 3-2 (29-27, 22-25, 25-19, 23-25, 15-13) victory by totaling a career high 68 assists.
On Sunday, the Bucks captured the Northern Illinois Invitation title by defeating the host school 3-2 (22-25, 25-12, 25-22, 20-25, 15-9). Sherwin was named the tournament MVP and Buckeye athlete of the week for her efforts.
Their season continues with a trip to Florida for the Four Points by Sheration Seminole Invitational.
Cross Country
The men's and women's cross country teams both got off to strong starts over the weekend as they both won the Flyer 5K Challenge.
First, the men were in Kettering, Ohio for there races. Four Buckeyes placed in the top ten, and they tallied enough points to defeat second place IUPUI by 12 points.
The Buckeye women's race took place in Kettering too, where they placed five runners in the top ten and also defeated second place IUPUI by 29 points.
Both teams will be back on the track in two weeks when they compete at the Big Ten preview in West Lafayette, Indiana.
Field Hockey
The OSU field Hockey team has started their 2013 season with a 1-1 record.
They dropped their opener against Temple 4-1. The Bucks went up 1-0 on Paige Hamilton's first career goal, but it was all Owls after that.
Their season continued the next day against 20th ranked New Hampshire. The Buckeyes pulled off a 3-2 upset, thanks to a last second goal by Hamilton that sent the game into extra time. The Bucks went on to win in a shootout.
Their season continues with their home opener Missouri State at 3:00 on Saturday.
Men's Golf
The men's golf team opens their season this weekend at the Northern Intercollegiate tournament in Sugar Grove, Illinois.
