Ohio State women’s soccer huddles up during a game against TCU Sept. 12. Ohio State lost 1-4. Credit: Christian Harsa | Special Projects Director
The Ohio State women’s soccer team led the game in shots with 21 but couldn’t find the back of the net against Purdue, losing 1-0 in overtime Thursday.
The Buckeyes kept a clean sheet throughout regulation while dominating possession, but a goal in the first minute of overtime by redshirt senior forward Sarah Griffith lifted the Boilermakers over Ohio State 1-0. Head coach Lori Walker-Hock said her team was devastated by the result of the match.
“Soccer is a cruel game,” Walker-Hock said. “We dominated the entire game, we had lots of shots but we couldn’t find the right one.”
Almost immediately at the start of overtime, Purdue senior midfielder’s Teagan Jones brought a sudden burst to the wailing Boilermaker offense, taking the ball from midfield and screaming down the left wing to put up the game winning shot.
Ohio State senior goalkeeper Bailey Kolinskileaped into the air to block Jones’ shot, but the deflection fell right into the lap of the Big Ten’s leading scorer Griffith as she shot and scored her 13th goal of the year to win the match 1-0.
The first half between the Buckeyes and Boilermakers was a tactical chess match as each team battled back-and-forth but neither could find the back of the net, each going scoreless in the opening 45 minutes.
The Buckeyes tallied seven shots in the first half, while the Boilermakers produced five.
Senior forward Kayla Fischer notched two of those seven shots in the first half and finished the game with seven of her own.
“We knew they were a team that wanted to counter, their defense isn’t their strong suit,” Fischer said. “We knew if we just kept going at them, we would get those shots up.”
A majority of the second half saw the Buckeyes push the tempo offensively, preventing the Boilermakers from any real chances to put together a good offensive sequence.
The Buckeyes tallied 15 shots in the second half as well as five corner opportunities. But to no avail, the Buckeyes couldn’t find the back of the net, sending the match into extra time.
Walker-Hock said she still remains confident in her team despite the recent hiccups and challenges that this season has brought.
“I don’t know why we’re being tested but we are, but you just got to keep fighting through,” Walker-Hock said. “We have to bear down and be supportive of each other and we’ll get ours.”
The Buckeyes take on their rivals the Michigan Wolverines Sunday at 2 p.m at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium to round out their last homestand of the season.
