Buckeye 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.
Ohio State Swept in Straight Sets against Northwestern
It was not a good afternoon for the Buckeyes.
After traveling to Evanston to play the Wildcats, OSU fell short and was swept in straight sets. Things did not start off well in the first set with NU jumping out to a 12-8 lead. Ohio State called a timeout to regroup, but was not able to close the gap ultimately losing the set 25-15. While the Buckeyes would still lose, things improved improved marginally in the second set with the final tally being 25-18. The third set was the closest, with OSU defending a 17-15 lead at one point. Unfortunately, the Wildcats would go on a 5-1 run taking a 20-19 lead, eventually winning the set 25-20.
While the Buckeyes lost, there were some impressive individual performances. Freshman Vanja Bukilic reached double digit kills for the 19th time this season with 11, while Sophomore Lauren Witte also had an impressive afternoon with 10 kills. Senior Audra Appold had a great afternoon on defense as well totaling 11 digs.
With the loss, Ohio State drops to 12-12 overall, and returns to Columbus to play Illinois at 7 p.m. this Friday.
Women's Soccer Kicked from Big Ten Tournament
The No. 3 seed Buckeyes played to a scoreless draw against No. 6 seed Nebraska in the Big Ten quarterfinals this Sunday. Unfortunately, after extra time, Ohio State would fall 3-2 on penalty kicks.
OSU started strong, dominating possession in the first half and controlling the pace of the game. Marissa Birzon had the best chance to score in the first half, but her shot was blocked by the Nebraska goalkeeper.
18' Fischer finds Birzon but Corder comes out to make the sliding save on the shot from 15 yards.#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/WW320WVS8p
— Ohio State WSOC (@OhioStateWSOC) October 28, 2018
The Buckeyes would continue to create chances in front of goal, but Blair Cowan came closest to scoring in the 100th minute with a long range shot that hit the crossbar.
100' Cowan hits a shot from 30 yards into the wind but it drills the crossbar and is cleared. Heading to a second overtime at 0-0.#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/aXtUIvPwgY
— Ohio State WSOC (@OhioStateWSOC) October 28, 2018
Despite their chances, Ohio State would not be able to find the net, suffering elimination after a competitive penalty shootout. On a more positive note, Senior goalkeeper Devon Kerr would record her 19th career shutout, making some excellent saves in the process.
49' Brandt tries to loft a shot from the top of the box over Kerr but the Buckeye senior goalkeeper is able to deflect it off the crossbar before it's cleared away. Still 0-0.#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/QJLdownn3g
— Ohio State WSOC (@OhioStateWSOC) October 28, 2018
With the loss, OSU drops to 9-5-4, and now hopes to be selected for the NCAA tournament on November 5th.
Field Hockey Advances to Semi-Finals after Double Overtime Victory
In a hotly contested quarterfinal match, the No. 23 Ohio State Buckeyes upset the No. 10 Rutgers Scarlet Knights to advance to the semi-finals of the Big Ten Tournament.
Ohio State truly left it all on the field with its offense generating a massive 20 shots throughout the game. The Buckeye defense was also playing at a high level, with Rutgers only managing to create six shots, three of which were blocked by goalie Aaliyah Hernandez. In the end, only one shot mattered. With Esther Clotet scoring her 11th goal of the season in the 89th minute to lift Ohio State over the Scarlet Knights and into the semi-finals.
Take a look at Esther Clotet's game winning goal! #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/O2Y3oAa941
— OSU Field Hockey (@OhioStateFH) October 28, 2018
With the win, the 12-7 Buckeyes will face No. 2 Maryland at 1 p.m. on Friday at Northwestern with a spot in the Big Ten Championship on the line.
