Around the Oval: Women's Soccer Takes Down the State of Michigan

By Jimmy Longo on October 9, 2017 at 3:25 pm
Ohio State women's soccer
via Ohio State Athletics
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Before and after Ohio State's thumping of Maryland, other Ohio State sports were doing the same.

Women's Soccer Owns The State of Michigan

Starting with a 1-0 double overtime win over Michigan State in Columbus Friday night and concluding with a 1-0 win on Sunday afternoon, the Ohio State women's soccer team has a serious stake in owning some Michigan real estate. 

Friday night at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium saw a thriller against a pesky Michigan State team. The Spartans took the No. 15 Buckeyes into double overtime.

The game was headed for a draw until senior Nikki Walts got a loose ball near the start of the box and buried a laser into the right corner of the net, giving the Buckeyes their fifth Big Ten win.

In the moment of the double overtime, game-ending goal, Ohio State coach Lori Walker-Hock was proud of her team's resolve.

"Young teams can often cave but our captains stepped up and were outstanding," Walker-Hock said. "There was no finger-pointing them and it was all about our team growth.""

They had a calm head about them and it was just a matter of time. Nikki scored a great goal."

Buckeyes Finish Weekend Sweep

Facing Michigan on a clowdy Sunday afternoon in Columbus, Ohio State would complete the sweep of the state of Michigan, downing the Wolverines 1-0 to move to 11-2-1 overall having won five straight games.

Through nearly all of regulation there was no scoring done by either sides, though when Ohio State needed a spark at the most crucial time, they got it from seniors Eleanor Gabriel and Sammy Edwards.

Gabriel controlled a pass and then dribbled the ball up the right side near the end line, chipping a centering pass near the middle of the box where Edwards cut in and beat the Wolverine defender to the spot, glancing the ball into the back of the net.

Finding paydirt in the second half was the result of capitalizing on missed opportunities from the first 45 and good ole' fashioned motivation from the head coach.

"We had great possession and moved the ball extremely well but we weren't executing that final piece," said Walker-Hock. "I got on Sammy a little bit to start playing hard and be more physically engaging."

"Eleanor played a great ball and it was a fantastic finish by Sammy."

Though it was only a 1-0 victory, Ohio State limited Michigan to only one shot on goal for the entire match. Goaltender Devon Kerr has recorded five-straight shutouts along with Ohio State's winning streak. 

Ohio State will look to make five wins six Thursday night in College Park at Maryland. 

Men's Soccer Drops Close One to No.2 Maryland

Against a tough and highly-ranked Maryland team, the No. 17 Ohio State men's soccer team dropped a close to one, 1-0 Friday night at home.

Both teams played stellar defense through nearly the entire game, with the game remaining scoreless until the 84th minute when Maryland's Sebastian Elney finished for the Terrapins, the deciding blow to the Buckeye effort.

Though despite the losing effort, head coach John Bluem was pleased with the squad's effort Friday night, hitting on how it can help them the rest of the way.

“I tip my hat off to our guys. It was fantastic how hard they worked and played together," Bluem said. "The result didn’t go our way but we never gave up and played with great spirit. That’s going to serve us well for the remainder of the year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Field Hockey Splits Weekend Series with Penn State and Cal.

The field hockey team split over the weekend, dropping a 3-0 matchup to fifth-ranked Penn State, before coming back and winning Sunday afternoon over Cal-Berkeley, 3-2.

The Buckeyes looked overmatched Friday afternoon against the Nittany Lions, as they were outshot 18-7, and registered only three shots on goal. 

After looking overmatched against Penn St. on Friday, Ohio State came back Sunday afternoon in double overtime against California-Berkeley, 3-2.

After going down 2-0 against Cal to through the first 50 minutes of the match, Maartje Bongers cut the deficit to 2-1.

Three minutes later Maddy Humphrey tied the game in the 53rd minute. The teams would play scoreless the rest of the way until Esther Clotet Alsina scored in the 98th minute to end the game for the Buckeyes.

Moving to 7-5, Ohio State will have two tough road games this coming weekend as they head to Maryland and Rutgers.

WVB Rebounds to Go 1-1 for the Weekend

After losing a heartbreaker in five sets to Penn State Friday, Oct. 6, the Buckeye women's volleyball team rebounded for a straight set win over Rutgers on Saturday.

Facing conference rival, perennial powerhouse and the No. 3 Nittany Lions, the Nittany Lions came out swinging and dominated the first set 25-13. 

It was a match of runs though, and Ohio State would respond to win the next two, 23-25 and 28-30.

Facing a win or lose set, Penn St. exploded in the fourth and fifth sets to down the Buckeyes, flexing the strength that has seen the program win six national titles.

Buckeyes Rebound Quickly

After the heartbreaking loss to Penn St. Friday night, Ohio State wouldn't have too much time to dwell on their loss. They played Rutgers the following night and took care of the Scarlet Knights in three sets, 25-15, 25-12, 26-24 at St. John Arena.

Ashley Wenz led the attack for the Buckeye hitters by amassing 18 total kills, a career high for the senior. Luisa Schirmer chipped in six kills as well, with Lauren Witte and Ana Beatriz Franklin each contributing five.

The win moved the Buckeyes to 10-7 orverall and 3-3 in Big Ten Conference play.

Ohio State women's volleyball heads on the road this week, with matches Friday and Saturday at Illinois and Northwestern.

Golf Teams Compete in Oregon and Chicago

Last week, the men's and women's golf teams competed at the Nike Collegiate Invitational and the Windy City Collegiate, respectively.

Ohio State Men's Golf at Nike Collegiate Invitational (15/15 teams)
Placing Golfer Round Split Overall
t30 Daniel Wetterich 72-69-72 213
t46 Caden Orewiler 71-71-74 216
t62 Will Voetsch 71-82-72 225
t68 Will Grimmer 77-72-74 226
75 Caleb Ramirez 75-81-80 236
Ohio State Women's Golf at Windy City Collegiate (Tied for 10th
Placing Golfer Rounds Split Overall
T9 Jaclyn Lee 71-70-74 215
T28 Niki Schroeder 74-69-78 221
T39 Rio Watanabe 68-75-80 223
T50 Alex Wright 76-74-75 225
T72 Adeena Shears 82-78-77 237
77* Alanis Sakuma 76-85-84 245

*Alanis Sakuma competed as an individual and her score did not contribute to the overall team score.

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