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.
Sweet 16
Sunday afternoon's result at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium is another chapter in a season of clutch finishes by the Ohio State men's soccer team.
Facing in-state rival Dayton, Ohio State found itself in a 1-0 hole late in the game. With just over ten minutes remaining in the game, junior forward Danny Jensen found the back of the net to even it at one.
“It fortunately bounced right over their last defender. I ran out from kind of an awkward angle and I actually had an angle because I was out of position," explained Jensen. "I took it off my chest and I knew if I hit it below the crossbar it would go in.”
After Jensen's equalizer, the Buckeyes played lock-down defense. The Flyers had a number of chances, but none materialized. Tied at 1-1 after two overtimes, the teams headed to a penalty shoot-out.
It pitted Ohio State senior goalkeeper Chris Froschauer against his
Ohio State goalkeeper Chris Forschauer makes a save to send the Buckeyes to the Sweet-16 (Photo via OSU Athletics).
former team with everything on the line, and he delivered. The B1G Goalkeeper of the Year made two saves in the shoot-out, including the fifth-round stop that sealed the victory for the Buckeyes.
The Buckeyes advanced on penalty kicks, winning 4-3.
“It was definitely an exciting game and we have a lot of respect for them,” said Froschauer. “I played for them for three years so I obviously know a lot of the guys really well. It’s tough to see them kind of down after the game but at the same time it’s great to carry my team on from here.”
For the second-straight season, Ohio State advanced in the NCAA Tournament on penalty kicks. Last season, the Buckeyes defeated 13-12 Akron in an epic 15-round shoot-out.
"When you get to penalty kicks you don’t know what is going to happen but we have a lot of confidence in Chris Froschauer to come up with a save or two and he did,” said Ohio State head coach John Bluem.
The Buckeyes will now travel to California to face No. 8 seed Stanford for the first time in school history. The match will be Sunday, 8 pm ET (5 pm locally).
"'Sweet 16' sounds a lot better than 'round of 32'," said Danny Jensen with a smile after the game.
I imagine Elite Eight sounds even better.
All Good Things Must End
The women's soccer team was also in NCAA Tournament action this weekend, but the result was not as positive.
The Buckeyes fell to No. 1 seed Penn State 4-0 in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.
“We have just gotten better every game,” Ohio State head coach Lori Walker said in an Ohio State release. “Our objective is to play until we meet a team that’s playing better than us and today we did. We have a lot to be proud of and we’ll pick ourselves back up."
Michela Paradiso ends her Buckeye career. She was the team's 2015 co-scoring leader (Photo via OSU Athletics).
OSU ends their season with a 13-7-3 record, advancing to the NCAA Sweet 16 for the third time in six years.
The loss marks the end of three Ohio State careers. Seniors Katelyn Kraft, Michela Paradiso and Marisa Wolf played their last match for the Scarlet and Gray. They conclude their Buckeye careers with 45 wins, a Big Ten Tournament championship and two trips to the Sweet 16.
"Our three seniors have given us a lot this year and I’m proud of how far our program has come,” said Walker.
The future is bright for this Buckeye team. Five Buckeyes finished with a double-digit point total, and four of them are returning. In addition, the Buckeyes return both goalkeepers in Devon Kerr and Jillian McVicker.
Other Scores and News
- Women's Basketball: Fell to No. 1 Connecticut 100-56, defeated Belmont 84-56, and defeated Wagner 106-47.
- Women's Hockey: Was swept by St. Cloud, losing 3-2 and 4-1.
- Women's Volleyball: Defeated Iowa 3-1 but fell to Wisconson 3-0.
- Wrestling: Defeated Arizona State 28-9.
- Men's Swimming: Finished second at Ohio State Invitational.
- Women's Swimming: Finished second at Ohio State Invitational.
This Week's Happenings
- Men's Soccer:
- Women's Basketball: Heads to Las Vegas to face Liberty and No. 12 Texas A&M in the South Point Shootout
- Men's Hockey: Travels to face Nebraska-Omaha Friday and Saturday.
- Women's Hockey: Faces Vermont and Boston University in Windjammer Classic in Burlinton, Vt.
- Women's Volleyball: Travels to face Minnesota, Wednesday and plays host to Rutgers, Saturday on Senior Night.
- Wrestling: Visit Cleveland State, Tuesday.
Don't Forget to Follow
- Wrestling: Curt Heinrichs @CurtHeinrichs
- Men and Women's Hockey: Aubrey Nelson @DeadlyNuts
- Women's Basketball: Kevin Harrish @Kevinish
And for all Buckeye news, follow @11W
