Sophomore forward Peanut Johnson (3) watches a play develop during a game against Louisville Oct. 1 at Buckeye Varsity Field. OSU lost, 6-3.
Credit: Ritika Shah / Asst. photo editor
After losing to two ranked Big Ten teams this weekend, the Ohio State field hockey team is set to travel to Muncie, Ind., to take on its last non-conference opponent in Ball State.
The Buckeyes have struggled securing a win and are currently on a three game losing streak. Their last win came against in-state opponent Ohio University Oct. 6, 2-1.
Coach Anne Wilkinson said her team is looking forward to trying new formations on the field and adjusting people to give Ball State a different look.
“We’ve kind of implemented a new style of play a little bit, so we are going to try to continue to build on that,” Wilkinson said. “We’ve moved people around positions so we are trying to work out how we are covering different spaces on the field … just getting people used to playing in different areas and being creative on the attack as well.”
Wilkinson said her players have been focusing on movement and distribution of the ball. She hoped the changes will help the Buckeye’s chances on offense.
“When we play a good team like Michigan, where they are very good at spoiling the play, it’s very hard to generate an attack, so we really are starting to think a little bit more about what we are doing with our restarts and keeping the ball moving so it’s not where people can double or triple team us,” Wilkinson said.
OSU lost to then-No. 19 Michigan Sunday, 2-1.
Sophomore forward Peanut Johnson said the Buckeyes are going to carry over the things that work best for them on the field but try to tighten other aspects of their play to pull away with a win.
“Our main focus is to just keep doing the things that we’ve been doing right this weekend and make a few adjustments just to try to keep the winning mentality and just come out with a win (Wednesday),” Johnson said.
Junior midfielder Nina Laudahn said the team has worked on areas they needed to improve and are mentally focused on what they want to accomplish in Wednesday’s game.
“We practiced corners a lot,” Laudahn said. “I think we are mentally ready now to score and win this game.”
Johnson said the games last weekend helped the team learn from each other and become stronger.
“These last few games, we really came together as a team,” Johnson said. “We are just excited to carry that on for the rest of the season.”
Wilkinson agreed, and added that after this past weekend’s matches, the team is eager to get back on the field.
“We practiced really hard (Tuesday) and I think they are excited to get out and get back on the field to play,” Wilkinson said.
The Buckeyes are scheduled to start the match with Ball State at 3 p.m. Wednesday. The team will then prepare for another Big Ten opponent against Indiana Saturday at home.
