Ohio State junior forward Emma Sears (19) dribbles upfield during the Ohio State-Central Florida game on Sept. 2. Ohio State won 4-2. Credit: Gabe Haferman | Assistant Photo Editor
Ohio State women’s soccer pitched its first shutout of the season en route to its third-straight win Thursday.
The Buckeyes (5-2) grinded out a 2-0 win against an aggressive Dayton Flyers (3-2-2) team. The match was originally supposed to be in Dayton, but upon a last-minute change due to unplayable conditions at Baujan Field, the match took place at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.
While both teams equally pushed the tempo of the match, one of the many reasons behind the Buckeyes’ victory was the shot differential, as Ohio State tallied 16 to Dayton’s five.
The first score of the match came when junior forward Emma Sears cruised up the wing and kicked a low shot across the box to find the back of the net in the 33rd-minute of play.
The goal was Sears’ fifth on the year, which currently leads the Buckeyes by breaking the tie between her and senior forward Kayla Fischer.
“She’s one of my favorite teammates. We always have each other’s backs, but it is a nice healthy competition to see who can score the most goals on the season,” Sears said.
Following that goal, the Buckeyes’ defense battled as Dayton tried to answer back and tie the match.
The Flyers did, in fact, come close a few times but senior goalkeeper Bailey Kolinski was always there to break up a Flyer attack.
“I thought she was aggressive, grabbing some crosses, and that’s what we need from her as we head into Big Ten play,” head coach Lori Walker-Hock said.
Junior midfielder Brittany Duncan capped off the win with a goal in the 89th-minute, finding the net off of a pass from sophomore midfielder Kine Flotre.
While the season rolls on, the Buckeyes have one more match before Big Ten play against No. 6 TCU Sunday. This matchup will be the second top-10 matchup the Buckeyes have faced all year, the first being against then-No. 2 North Carolina.
“I think the biggest thing is to keep chugging along and think about recovery going into this weekend,” Sears said.
The match between the Buckeyes and TCU will take place at Jesse Owens Memorial field at noon Sunday, and will also be live on Big Ten Network.
