The Ohio State women’s soccer team will take on Arkansas in the next round of the NCAA Tournament. Credit: Katie Good | Asst. Photo Editor
The No. 6 Ohio State women’s soccer team heads south to Fayetteville, Arkansas, to face the No. 3 Razorbacks in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at Razorback Field Friday.
The Buckeyes (11-5-3, 5-3-2 Big Ten) look to advance to the third round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015 after a 1-0 win over Bucknell Nov. 11.
The Razorbacks (12-3-4, 6-2-2 SEC) defeated Missouri State 6-0 Nov. 11 and look for a deep run after reaching the quarterfinals last season.
Although the Buckeyes are traveling south, the weather won’t be any warmer in Fayetteville than in Columbus. The temperature at kickoff is expected to be approximately 29 degrees, but head coach Lori Walker-Hock is not concerned about the cold.
“We’re good with this,” Walker-Hock said. “Most of our players are accustomed to playing in this temperature this time of year. When our players are sort of from this region, it’s pretty common.”
Arkansas allowed 0.58 goals per game this season, less than the 0.74 goals per game Bucknell allowed heading into its loss against the Buckeyes.
While the Razorbacks are stout defensively, Walker-Hock said it’s all about finding a way to win.
“There isn’t any one secret potion,” Walker-Hock said. “It’s just show up, play your hardest and be as good as you can be at the things that you’re strong at — trying to stop the other team from executing their strikes. It’s that simple.”
On offense, Arkansas is led by junior forward Ava Tankersley’s eight goals and 11 assists, senior midfielder Jessica De Filippo’s nine goals and six assists and senior forward Anna Podojil’s seven goals and five assists.
The goalkeeper for the Razorbacks is graduate Grace Barbara, who played all 19 of Arkansas’ matches and recorded 51 saves while conceding 10 goals.
The Buckeyes are led offensively by senior forwards Emma Sears and Kayla Fischer scoring nine goals with five assists and eight goals with two assists, respectively. Sophomore forward Kailyn Dudukovich recorded seven goals and one assist this season as well.
The Buckeyes have a pair of goalkeepers who have played regularly this season: graduate Kat Robinson and freshman Molly Pritchard.
Robinson made 21 saves and conceded four goals in 13 matches while Pritchard recorded 53 saves and allowed 14 goals in 18 appearances.
The Buckeyes and Razorbacks kick off at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN+ with the winner among the final 16 teams in the NCAA Tournament.
