Ohio State then-freshman forward Emaly Vatne (14) heads the ball down the field in the game against Florida Gulf Coast University on Sept. 7, 2018. Credit: Casey Cascaldo | Managing Editor for Multimedia
The Ohio State women’s soccer team returned to Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium after a two-game roadtrip to beat Big Ten opponent Maryland 1-0 Thursday evening.
The Buckeyes (4-6-1, 2-2 Big Ten) let their recent losses against Michigan and Minnesota drive them against the Terrapins (6-4-2, 2-2), whose two-game win streak was snapped.
“We’ve been super hungry, and eventually when you are starving, you’re gonna figure out a way to hunt and that’s what we did today,” head coach Lori Walker-Hock said. “We haven’t had that killer instinct that we’ve needed, and it doesn’t matter how the goals come. Once they come we’ve gotta make sure we can secure that win.”
Ohio State’s lone goal came from junior midfielder Olivia Petit in the 30th minute on assists by sophomore forwards Emaly Vatne and Kayla Fischer.
Petit came in as a substitute to score the eventual game-winning goal. It was her first of the year.
“The best parts we got from today’s game were the minutes from our bench, Olivia Petit scoring that goal was huge for us and everyone that came into the game added some energy and added to our capacity to finish that game off,” Walker-Hock said.
The Buckeye offense challenged Maryland goalkeepers redshirt junior Andi Wenck and freshman Nicole Kwoczk with 16 shots –– Fischer and junior defender Izzy Rodriguez combining for seven.
Ohio State sophomore midfielder Talani Barnett had one of seven Buckeye shots on goal in the 24th minute, when her header attempt nearly found the net.
“We just wanted to match what they did, we’re very good at adapting to what other teams can do. I think that tonight we showed that we can come out and play against any team,” Petit said.
With redshirt senior defender Haley Walker-Robinson out due to a head injury, redshirt sophomore Maddy Lowe got the start on defense, while freshman defender Kitty Jones-Black moved into the midfield.
The backline of Lowe, Rodriguez, senior Marike Mousset and freshman Aliyah El-Naggar allowed 14 Terrapin shots, but goalkeepers junior Bailey Kolinski and redshirt freshman Jordan Silkowitz saved all five attempts on net.
“We were really big on pressure and cover defensively,” Mousset said. “Tonight, everyone had each other’s back, if you made a mistake, you had someone picking up your coverage.”
Ohio State moves ahead for a matchup with Penn State at 2 p.m. Sunday in Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.
