An offensive burst led the No. 19 Ohio State field hockey team to a win over rival Michigan Sunday.
Sophomore forward Maria Briones led the Buckeyes with two first-half goals in the 4-3 victory.
Freshman forward Berta Queralt also scored in the first half for the Buckeyes. Queralt drilled her shot into the top shelf, pushing the Buckeyes’ lead to 2-0.
“It was just a beautiful goal,” coach Anne Wilkinson said.
Michigan struck back just two minutes later, but Briones’ second goal pushed the Buckeyes’ lead to 3-1 at the half.
Early in the second half, OSU increased the lead to three when junior Aisling McKeon finished a pass from Queralt.
Both Briones and Queralt admitted that the Buckeyes relaxed after building the three-goal lead, letting Michigan back into the game. The letdown forced the Buckeyes to fend off a late Michigan rally led by midfielder Meredith Way, who finished the game with two goals and an assist.
The Wolverines scored two unanswered goals, making it 4-3.
“They kept coming at us, which we knew they would,” Wilkinson said.
The Buckeyes are now 3-2 against the Wolverines in their last five meetings. OSU also improved to 8-1 at home this season and has won 10 of its last 11 games overall.
The Buckeyes improved to 3-1 in the Big Ten with the victory and are now second place in the conference.
OSU will battle Michigan State for the conference’s top spot Wednesday in East Lansing, Mich. MSU is currently first in the Big Ten at 3-0.
