Senior midfielder Arielle Cowie plays the ball forward during a game against Missouri State Sept. 6 at Buckeye Varsity Field. OSU won, 5-1.
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The Ohio State field hockey team is set to face off against its second straight in-state opponent when it takes on Kent State Tuesday.
OSU lost 4-2 to Miami (Ohio) Wednesday. The team had the weekend off from competition which allowed the players extra time to prepare for their upcoming opponents. Junior midfield Kaitlyn Wagner said the captains brought the team together Sunday to help them get back on track.
“We had a captain’s practice (Sunday) and a captain’s meeting afterward,” Wagner said. “That really kind of got us back to normal where we needed to be.”
Coach Anne Wilkinson said she hopes her players will be able to capitalize on scoring opportunities against Kent State.
“One percent of it is getting it up into the circle, the other 99 percent of it has become our ability to finish,” Wilkinson said. “I think it’s all about having the composure to take advantage of our opportunities, I know I’ve said it before.”
Junior goalkeeper Sarah Lemieux said in practice, the team has been focusing mainly on the offensive game.
“We’ve been working on goal scoring a lot,” Lemieux said. “Defensively, like playing together as a better unit, but mostly goal scoring.”
Wagner mentioned specific areas the team needed to work on to prepare for the Golden Flashes on the defensive end.
“We’ve had struggles with marking, so we really worked on being aware of our marks,” Wagner said.
Wilkinson said her team is ready mentally and physically for Kent State.
“They’ll be ready,” Wilkinson said. “They are looking forward to this after our last disappointing loss to Miami. I think they understand that everyone is out to get us and you can’t sit back. You really have to show up every day.”
Tuesday’s match is set for 2 p.m. in Kent. The Buckeyes are then slated to head to East Lansing, Mich., to play Big Ten rival Michigan State Saturday at 1 p.m.
