Junior forward Kailyn Dudukovich (21) beating Oakland’s defenders in Ohio State’s 6-0 shut-out win Aug. 31. Credit: Sandra Fu
It was a battle of the Buckeye State under the Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium lights Thursday night and the Buckeyes came out on top as the victorious Ohio school.
Ohio State (3-2-1, 0-0-0 Big Ten) defeated the Ohio University Bobcats (2-2-2, 0-0-0 MAC) with junior forward Kailyn Dudukovich and her two goals at the forefront.
The Buckeyes started their night off on a note of sentimentality highlighting their four graduating seniors, midfielder Christin Baumbick, defender Nina LeFlore, midfielder Kine Flotre, and forward Emma Sears who is rejoining the Buckeyes for the first time this season.
“We have this saying that we like to win Ohio,” Dudukovich said.
Dudukovich proved that on the pitch, quickly marking her seventh goal in six games, bringing the Buckeyes on top 1-0 in the 43rd minute. Dudukovich is the Buckeyes’ reigning leader in shots and goals both this season and last.
The Bobcats put up a tough fight with sophomore goalkeeper Celeste Sloma blocking all but one of Ohio State’s 14 shots on goal within the first half of the match.
“Energy is huge. It’s a 90-minute game so there’s going to be waves, but I think that just puts some fire under us,” Dudukovich said.
Although Ohio State walked away with another win, the night was far from a walk in the park for the Buckeyes. Coming away with seven fouls in the first half alone, the Bobcats and the Buckeyes fought hard for the chance to claim their title as the winning Ohio team.
Senior forward Shae Robertson tied up the game for the Bobcats with a penalty kick in the 56th minute.
The Buckeyes didn’t let that deter them, however, coming back quickly with two back-to-back goals. One was Dudukovich’s seventh season goal off a penalty in the 59th minute, followed by a goal from sophomore forward Ella Giannola just two minutes later.
Freshman forward Ava Bramblett, assisted by Dudukovich, provided the perfect cherry on top to a roughly fought match with a swift header into the Bobcat’s goal at the 82:32 mark bringing the Buckeyes up to a finish of 4-1.
Ohio State begins its conference matches next week, however, Dudukovich said she isn’t worried.
“Our offense has a new engine to it, so we’re just getting into the role of the season and getting warmed up,” Dudukovich said.
Ohio State head coach Lori Walker-Hock said its strength in defense and trust in sophomore goalkeeper Molly Pritchard is what helps them grow stronger as a team on the field.
“Molly is really developing into a new leader on our squad. As a goalkeeper, that’s an important thing. Her voice has been really strong but one thing that’s really improved is her comfortability with her own feet,” Walker-Hock said.
The Buckeye mentality is what keeps them pushing forward, Walker-Hock said.
“Something we’ve been talking about is sometimes we can’t control the mistakes, but it’s how we respond to it that matters,” Walker-Hock said.
Ohio State returns home again Sunday against the Auburn Tigers at noon.
