Ohio State excellence is not exclusive to the football field or the basketball court. Around the Oval is our way of keeping you informed of the amazing things happening with the other 34 varsity sports on campus.
On to the Next One
After defeating rival Michigan, 3-1, to clinch the Big Ten regular season title, the top-seeded Buckeyes faced No. 7 seed Penn State in the quarterfinal of the Big Ten Tournament, Sunday afternoon.
After an evenly matched first half, the Buckeyes dominated the second and out-shot the Nittany Lions 14-2. However, shots don't always equal goals. Three went off the frame of the goal, and a few more narrowly missed. Despite the barrage of offense from the scarlet and gray, the match remained scoreless in regulation.
“We all felt like we were going to get one, we had so many near misses in the second half,” said OSU head coach John Bluem in an Ohio State release. “I just kept encouraging the guys to stay with it, be patient, be calm, be confident and it will come our way.”
Bluem was right. Just two minutes into extra-time, senior Kyle Culbertson received a midfield pass from Austin Bergstrom, battled through the Penn State defense and found the back of the net.
We recap @OhioState_MSOC 1-0 OT win over @PennStateMSOC to advance (and host) the B1G Tourney Semifinals on Friday. https://t.co/Y4bttAwPJ8
— Soccer on BTN (@SoccerOnBTN) November 8, 2015
“I decided to drive right at them and hoped to create something,” Culbertson said. “First shot blocked and somehow went off my chest and fell nicely. Just tried to get it on frame far post and was able to sneak it past the keeper."
With Culbertson's golden-goal, the Buckeyes remain undefeated in overtime on the season, improving to 3-0-2.
Defensively, the Buckeyes were stellar yet again. Led by B1G Goalkeeper of the Year Chris Froschauer and B1G Defensive Player of the Year Liam Doyle, the Buckeyes recorded the ninth shutout of the season – a conference best best.
As the top-seed, Ohio State will host the remainder of the B1G Tournament, which is good news for the scarlet and gray. The Buckeyes have been virtually untouchable at home. They've won a program-record nine home matches this season, losing only their second match of the season to Binghamton.
Next up is a rematch with fourth-seeded Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights got the best of the Buckeyes in the regular season, defeating the Buckeyes 1-0 and ending their program record eight-match winning streak.
The contest will be strength-on-strength, pitting the B1G Offensive Player of the Year in Rutgers' Jason Wright against Froschauer and Doyle.
Ohio State knows what's at stake, but they're going to play loose and confident.
"Now they are all knockout games," Bluem said. "There’s been a lot of pressure on our team. We need to get back to let’s make this fun, let’s enjoy it, let’s enjoy the moment and let’s play as hard and as best as we can."
NCAA Tournament Bound?
The Ohio State women's soccer team has been in do-or-die mode for some time now.
Junior forward Nichelle Prince (Photo via Ohio State Athletics).
OSU needed a senior-night win over Michigan State to earn a spot in the Big Ten tournament – they got it, earning the No. 7 seed. They then needed a win over Wisconsin in the B1G Tournament quarterfinals to keep their season alive – they got that too, winning 2-1.
Next up, Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights were the No. 2 seed in the B1G Tournament and the No. 7 team nationally. They're a senior laden squad with a dominant defense that had given up just six goals on the season.
The Buckeyes would not add to that total. They were defeated 2-0.
“I’d love to take back the whole first half because we played a little scared," said Ohio State head coach Lori Walker in an Ohio State release. "We brought it in the second half but it wasn’t enough." The Buckeyes were out-shot 6-2 in the first half, but matched Rutgers with seven shots in the second.
It may not be the desired result for the scarlet and gray, but their performance the past few weeks will likely be enough to earn them an NCAA Tournament birth. While they aren't ranked in the coaches poll, the team is ranked 27th in the NCAA RPI.
Ohio State's post-season fate will be made official during the NCAA selection show at 4:30 p.m., today. They should be given an at-large bid, it's just a matter of how they're seeded. Regardless, Walker is optimistic.
"There’s a lot we can take moving forward," Walker said, "but we’re very confident with where we are moving into the NCAA Tournament."
Update: Ohio State will host Butler in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The match will be Saturday at 6 p.m. The full Ohio State release can be seen here and the full NCAA Tournament Bracket can be seen here.
Hockey, Wrestling, & Women's Hoops News
As new seasons are set to begin, I think it's a good time to remind you that Around the Oval is not the only source of non-revenue sports news. This season, Eleven Warriors will provide extended coverage of the men and women's hockey teams, the wrestling team, and the women's basketball team.
Aubrey Nelson is the Eleven Warriors' hockey beat writer. She provides wonderful coverage of both the men's and women's hockey teams, and will continue to do so this season. You can follow her on Twitter at @DeadlyNuts.
On the wrestling beat is the wonderful Curt Heinrichs. He'll keep you up to date on the defending NCAA Champion Buckeye wrestling team. You can follow him on Twitter at @CurtHeinrichs.
Last but certainly not least, I (Kevin Harrish) will be on the Ohio State women's basketball beat this season. You can follow me on Twitter at @Kevinish.
Of course, do not forget to follow @11W for all Buckeye news.
Other Scores and News
- Women's Volleyball: Dropped match to Maryland 3-0, but beat Rutgers 3-0 to end a 3 match losing streak.
- Women's Hockey: Dropped both games to No. 5 Bemidji St. 2-1 and 3-1.
- Field Hockey: Ended their season with a 4-0 loss to Northwestern in the B1G Tournament quarterfinals.
- Men's Swimming: Defeated Denison 174-112.
- Women's Swimming: Defeated Denison 210.5-85.5
What's Happening This Week
- Men's Soccer: Hosts fourth-seeded and 16th-ranked Rutgers Friday in the B1G Tournament semi-finals for a chance to play for the B1G Tournament title Sunday.
- Women's Soccer: Hosts Butler in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Saturday at 6 p.m.
- Women's Basketball: Opens the season on the road against No. 2 South Carolina.
- Men's Hockey: Hosts Canisius, Friday and Saturday.
- Women's Hockey: Visits No. 6 North Dakota.
- Women's Volleyball: Hosts Illinois Wednesday and Michigan, Saturday.
- Wrestling: Opens season against Virginia, Friday.
- Men's Swimming: Hosts Cleveland State Thursday and Miami (Oh) Friday before traveling to face Eastern Michigan, Saturday.
- Women's Swimming: Hosts Cleveland State Thursday and Miami (Oh) Friday before traveling to face Eastern Michigan, Saturday.
- Men's Cross Country: Competes in NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championships, Friday in Madison, Wis.
- Women's Cross Country: Competes in NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championships, Friday in Madison, Wis.
