The Ohio State field hockey team will host Iowa Friday and Northwestern Sunday in Columbus. Credit: Zachary Rilley | Photo Editor
Ohio State looks to extend its four-game win streak this weekend and force its way into the Big Ten Tournament against two conference opponents.
The No. 21 Buckeyes (7-5, 1-3 Big Ten) field hockey team will host Iowa on Friday and match up against Northwestern on Sunday at Buckeye Varsity Field.
Senior forward Sarah Charley said the Buckeyes understand how important this weekend is for them.
“This weekend holds a lot of weight,” Charley said. “As long as we continue to do our job and do what we’ve been practicing, we’re going to have a really good weekend.
The No. 5 Hawkeyes (10-3, 3-2 Big Ten) come to Columbus after going 2-2 over the last two weekends against four teams ranked in the top 25.
It will be a defensive battle with Iowa and Ohio State at No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, in goals allowed per game as a team.
Junior forward Alex Wesneski leads Iowa with 22 points from 11 goals. She is closely followed by sophomore forward Annika Herbine who has 21 points off of seven goals and seven assists.
For the Buckeyes, Charley has emerged as an offensive catalyst after three-straight games with two goals, getting her up to 18 points for the season. Her two games with two goals and an assist in each earned her the Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week award Monday.
Hawkeyes fifth-year goalkeeper Grace McGuire will make it tough for the Buckeyes to find the back of the cage. McGuire is boasting a Big Ten-leading 0.932 goals allowed per game and is second in the conference with a 77.4 save percentage.
Charley said the big wins against Central Michigan and Ohio help build confidence for a game against a great defensive team like Iowa.
“It definitely helps,” Charley said. “Abby is a great goalkeeper, and we have a lot of experience in the backfield which is extremely helpful when we are needing to generate offense in order to keep a strong defense.”
Buckeyes junior goalkeeper Abby Danson is second in the Big Ten for goals allowed per game at 0.943 and is leading with an 82.5 save percentage, so she will cause similar struggles for Iowa.
The No. 3 Wildcats (10-3, 1-3 Big Ten) come into Columbus from East Lansing after a game against Michigan State on Friday.
Ohio State faces Big Ten points leader Bente Baekers. The fifth-year forward has 42 points from 18 goals and six assists, which is 15 points ahead of second place in the conference. Senior back Delaney Lawler said Baekers will receive some extra attention from the Buckeyes defense.
“She’s a great goal scorer, passer,” Lawler said. “It’s a really fun challenge for us in terms of, yes, they have top points scorer, but I also think they have a balanced attack as well. You can’t take your eye off of anybody up front.”
Annabel Skubisz, a junior goalkeeper for Northwestern, has put up a save percentage of 71 on the season, allowing 18 goals in 13 games.
Seven out of nine teams make the Big Ten Tournament, and the Buckeyes are ranked seventh in the conference ahead of Indiana and Michigan State, so conference games will have even more importance going forward.
“This weekend is what makes teams,” Lawler said. “We have a great opportunity in front of us to show what we’ve always known we’ve had in the locker room and make a statement to not only the Big Ten, but also the rest of the NCAA.”
Ohio State will begin its weekend set against Iowa Friday at 3 p.m.
