Ohio State senior goalkeeper Bailey Kolinski (0) points directs her defenders during the Ohio State-TCU game Sept. 12 Ohio State lost 4-1. Credit: Christian Harsa | Special Projects Director
Although the Buckeyes and Hoosiers put up a combined 38 shots, neither were able to find the winning goal as the Ohio State women’s soccer team drew for the first time this season.
The Buckeyes (7-4-1) battled back and forth with Indiana (8-2-2) all the way until the 110th minute when the game was called a draw at 1-1. The Hoosiers let 23 shots fly, but they were no match for senior goalkeeper Bailey Kolinski, who had 10 saves on the day and only allowed one goal.
“We have a no-shot mentality when we’re out there,” Kolinski said “Sometimes they get lucky and create space but having that mentality against shooters is what we’re working on.”
The Buckeyes opened up the game with a score in the 8th minute after a defensive miscue by Indiana in its own box allowed senior forward Kayla Fischer to find the back of the net following a few deflections that gave her a clean look.
That goal was Fischer’s fifth on the year, which ties the team lead between junior forward Emma Sears and freshman Kailyn Dudukovich.
After that score, Indiana ramped up the pressure on its attack, but with that added aggression came many mistakes such as bad passing and fouls that cost them some opportunities to equalize the game.
In the second half, it was more of the same for Indiana. The Hoosiers continued to rush the Buckeyes’ defense, but this time came out more controlled, leading to a few good looks on goal.
In the 60th minute, Kolinski made a miraculous full-body save to set up a corner kick for the Hoosiers in which they found their first and only score of the game. Sophomore forward Jen Blitchok earned her fourth goal of the season.
The two teams battled back and forth for a majority of the second half all the way up to the 90th minute.
Although each team was exhausted following regulation, they found a second wind in overtime.
Not only did both teams find their second wind, but also found more opportunities for chippy play as overtime waned on.
Both teams battled to the very end, but a winner could not arise in two overtime periods, resulting in a tie at 1-1.
Head coach Lori Walker-Hock was still proud of her team’s performance though they could not walk away with the victory.
“We did not have our best performance tonight, but our team battled,” Walker-Hock said. “Indiana was a good team tonight. It was like a mirror of ourselves; a tie was a fair result.”
Ohio State will look to improve its 2-1-1 Big Ten record as it concludes its homestand at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium this weekend against No. 9 Rutgers at 12 p.m in Columbus, Ohio, and live on Big Ten Network.
