OSU sophomore midfielder Nikki Walts (4) makes a corner kick during a game against Purdue on Oct. 9 at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. Credit: Anbo Yao | Lantern Photographer
The No. 7 seed Ohio State women’s soccer team fell to No. 2-seeded Rutgers on Friday afternoon in State College, Pennsylvania, in the semifinals of the Big Ten tournament.
The Scarlet Knights defeated the Buckeyes 2-0 to end the Scarlet and Gray’s tournament run after they started it off with an upset win over Wisconsin in the quarterfinals.
Rutgers got on the board early in the eighth minute when sophomore forward Colby Ciarrocca flicked home a finish from six yards out after a long throw-in by senior defender Brianna Reed.
The Buckeyes had a golden chance to answer in the 12th minute, but Rutgers goalkeeper Casey Murphy made a leaping save.
The Scarlet Knights scored again in the 39th minute to give them the 2-0 lead heading into halftime. Junior midfielder Jennifer Andresen took advantage of a giveaway just outside the box and finished from 18 yards out. OSU freshman goalkeeper Devon Kerr, who made the start but was pulled after the second goal, inadvertently passed it directly to Andresen, who had an open strike.
Heading into halftime, the Scarlet Knights held the advantage in shots, 6-2, including 3-1 on the frame.
Entering the second half, Rutgers pressed on, not content with its lead.
In the final 20 minutes of play, the Buckeyes continued to push numbers forward but couldn’t find the back of the net.
For the game, the Scarlet Knights held the 13-9 advantage in shots, including 5-3 on the frame.
Now the Buckeyes have nothing to do but hope their 11-6-3 record is good enough to receive an at-large bid in the NCAA tournament. OSU will learn whether its season will continue for at least one more game or not when the 64-team bracket is revealed at 4:30 p.m. on Monday.
