Ohio State then-junior forward Emma Sears (19) dribbles upfield during the Ohio State-Central Florida game on Sept. 2, 2021. Ohio State won 4-2. Credit: Gabe Haferman | Lantern File Photo
Junior midfielder Peyton McNamara and senior forward Emma Sears each scored a pair of goals as the Ohio State women’s soccer team defeated Dayton 4-0 Thursday to pick up their third win of the season.
After a 2-0 loss to No. 9 BYU on Friday, the Buckeyes (3-1-0) looked to respond with a win against their foes down I-70 West and did so in emphatic fashion, recording nine shots on goal to Dayton’s (3-1-1) one.
Sears opened the scoring in the 20th minute with a run down the right channel before darting towards the goal line and dispatching the ball past Flyer freshman goalkeeper Batoul Reda for her second tally of the season. Graduate defender Olivia Sensky picked up her first assist of the year after a long ball to Sears that set up her run to goal.
About 12-1/2 minutes later, Sears received a feed from Sensky and passed to McNamara, who found the net for the first time this season, striking the ball from the outside of the box into the left corner to double the Buckeyes’ lead.
McNamara struck again in nearly identical fashion in the 52nd minute, securing a brace for herself and extending Ohio State’s lead to three. Fellow junior midfielder Kine Flotre picked up her first assist of the year on the goal.
In the 66th minute, Sears joined McNamara as she used her speed to bolt past the right side of Dayton’s defense before placing the ball off the inside of the far post to score Ohio State’s fourth goal of the night. Identical to the first goal of the night, Sensky assisted Sears.
With the win, the Buckeyes improved to 3-1. They will return to Columbus for a clash with No. 18 Texas A&M on Sunday at noon, broadcasting on Big Ten Plus.
