Shelby Lum / Photo editor
Senior defender Megan Fuller controls the ball during a game against Pittsburgh on Aug. 28, at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. OSU won, 2-0.
The streak continues for No. 24 Ohio State women’s soccer team, after it defeated Pittsburgh 2-0 Wednesday night at the Bert L. & Iris S. Wolstein Field at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. With the win, the Buckeyes set a school-record with 14 consecutive matches unbeaten, dating back to last September.
“I think that just shows how hard we’ve all worked as a team and the coaching staff… and it paid off,” junior forward Kayla Varner said after the win.
OSU controlled the game offensively for most of the first half and a 36th minute goal off a corner kick from senior defender Megan Fuller to freshman midfielder Alexis Degler opened the scoring for the Buckeyes.
“Megan Fuller takes unbelievable corner kicks, and I knew my role on the back post is to just clean it up,” Degler said. “I just took my chance and got my head in front of it and made it.”
The Buckeyes were able to keep possession for most of the first half, outshooting the Panthers 8-1 in the first half, and holding a 9-1 advantage in corner kicks.
“This week, we really focused and pinpointed the attack. I know we do a lot of functional training so we really just focused on the final third,” Degler said.
In the 60th minute, junior forward and midfielder Kayla Varner extended OSU’s lead, making a long shot that beat redshirt-junior goalkeeper Nicole D’Agostino. The ball found the back of the net, but Varner said she didn’t know how she did it.
“Well, it was kind of an accident, but it worked in my favor. It was supposed to be a cross, but I’ll take it,” Varner said.
Coach Lori Walker said she was pleased with her team’s effort and their ability to score against a solid defensive team like Pittsburgh.
“Pittsburgh defended really hard, they were very organized behind the ball, as I figured they would be and I feel good that we found the back of the net,” Walker said.
The Buckeyes are set to be back in action Sunday, hosting Arizona at 6 p.m. at the Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. Walker says rest is the most important thing for her team right now.
“First thing we have to do is recover, this is our third game in five days, we need to get a little bit of rest in us … and find some things out about Arizona,” Walker said.
