Ohio State women’s soccer coach Lori Walker-Hock paces the sideline during the second half of the Buckeyes’ 7-0 win against Illinois at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium on Sept. 14, 2017. Credit: Colin Hass-Hill | Lantern File Photo
After a 3-1 win over Maryland, Ohio State is back on the road against Rutgers Sunday in hopes of keeping its two-game winning streak alive.
Freshmen forward Peyton McNamara and midfielder Kine Flotre put the Buckeyes (2-0-1) on top against the Terrapins (0-3-1), combining for all three goals. It was the first career goal for each player.
“I was a little shocked because the first two games I had some really bad missed shots but as soon as that first one went in, it felt great,” McNamara said. “The second one was just as much of a shock as the first one. I loved turning around and seeing my teammates give me high-fives.”
With McNamara and Flotre attacking, and freshman midfielders Christin Baumbick and Lauren Brown coming off the bench, the young players have already made a name for themselves.
“They’re bringing a lot of great things to our team right now, they are creating chances and they’re really making it easy to play with them,” senior defender Izzy Rodriguez said. “I think they bring a lot of excitement and something new too that a lot of the Big Ten teams haven’t seen, and we really have avenues from all all angles of the field.”
The Scarlet Knights (3-1) are coming off a 3-1 win over Michigan State, a victory aided by the Spartans shooting an own goal. Senior forwards Amirah Ali and Nneka Moneme recorded the other two scores.
“They have a really good attack and they’re really organized defensively, so we’ve been really focused on how we can break them down,” Rodriguez said. “I think it’s gonna be a good battle with two great teams playing each other.”
Rutgers previously beat Penn State and Purdue, and its one loss came against Indiana. Both McNamara and Rodriguez said they have been preparing for the team’s attack even while traveling.
“The most important thing is to remain calm and know that if things start to get a little choppy out there, that better than giving into the frustration, we can remain calm and play our game,” McNamara said.
The game will be livestreamed on BTN+ Sunday at 11 a.m.
