Forward Berta Queralt is now just four points shy of reaching Ohio State field hockey’s top 10 single-season point record.
Queralt has 40 points this season on 14 goals and 12 assists.
This accomplishment would be significant for any player on the Buckeyes’ squad, but it’s even more remarkable for Queralt because she is a freshman who came to OSU from Barcelona, Spain.
As a freshman, Queralt has made an incredible impact on the Buckeyes’ offense. Her 40 points rank second in the Big Ten and her assists are top in the conference.
Queralt’s five game-winning goals also rank first in the Big Ten and have helped to propel the Buckeyes to an 11-4 overall record and 3-1 mark in conference play.
The freshman forward has been especially hot as of late, scoring in each of the team’s last four games. The Buckeyes won each of those contests.
In the Bucks’ most recent game, a 4-3 win over Michigan Sunday, Queralt drilled a reverse-stick shot into the top shelf, demonstrating her incredible goal-scoring ability.
“She’s a special player and a special kid,” coach Anne Wilkinson said. “Her impact on the team is fantastic.”
But Queralt’s success has not come easily. She has been forced to transition from playing just one game a week in Spain, to two or three games a week for the Buckeyes.
Queralt said the transition was tough, but she has come to prefer the system she plays in now.
Sophomore forward Maria Briones has helped Queralt in her adjustment as Briones is also from Barcelona and had to make a similar transition.
“We play a similar style and the same position,” Briones said, “so we understand each other really well.”
The communication between the Barcelona natives has been crucial to the Buckeyes’ offense, as Briones and Queralt have combined for 24 goals and 18 assists.
On Monday, the Big Ten named queralt the conference’s Freshman of the Week for the second consecutive week.
The tandem will look to continue to tally up points when the Buckeyes take on Michigan State in East Lansing, Mich., this Friday.
