The Buckeyes beat the Michigan Wolverines 4-1.
Credit: Katie Good | Lantern File
The heart and soul of Ohio State’s athletics culture lies in its longstanding rivalry against Michigan. Regardless of sport, season or standing, any meetup between the two is a guarantee for a good show of sportsmanship, and Sunday’s women’s soccer match did not disappoint.
Ohio State (9-6-2, 5-4-1 Big Ten) closed out its conference matches with one last home victory, winning 4-1 over the Wolverines Sunday afternoon.
Sunday was also Alumni Night, honoring Buckeyes from seasons past, with the Ohio State marching band making an appearance.
“The crowd that we had today was phenomenal and that was indicative that the Buckeyes want to support any of their teams when they play Michigan,” head coach Lori Walker-Hock said. “Today we needed to focus on doing what we needed to do, taking care of business and not leaving it in anyone else’s hands.”
As the two powerhouses took the pitch, energy in the Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium was palpable. While both teams’ Big Ten tournament bid rested on the fate of Sunday’s turnout, the game meant more than soccer tradition was on the line.
“The home game energy is unreal, especially for a rivalry match,” fifth-year forward Emma Sears said. “We knew the energy was going to be there today, so we knew we needed to execute and that’s exactly what we did.”
True to her word, Sears started off the day with a dominating first Buckeye goal in the 34th minute of the match. Walker-Hock said Sears once again put on a remarkable performance, which heavily contributed to the teams’ ninth win of the season.
“Emma Sears was an absolute monster today, it was a great time for her to show up and just be special for us,” Walker-Hock said.
Along with her goal, Sears had five shots on goal and an assist to freshman forward Amanda Schlueter’s point in the second half.
“I knew this was going to be one of my last games on this field, so I knew I needed to make the most of it,” Sears said. “I love playing for this team and so it’s always a big goal of mine to show up for them every single game.”
Following a score by sophomore forward Ella Giannola assisted by Schlueter for the Buckeyes, the Wolverines closed out the first half down by two.
At the top of the second half, Michigan made it clear it wasn’t going down without a fight.
Following shots from forwards sophomore Kali Burrell, senior Sammi Woods and freshman Gabrielle Prych, as well as midfielders sophomore Jenna Lang and junior Avery Kalitta — the Wolverines were on the prowl for the equalizer.
Michigan found a breakaway in the 54th minute with a goal from senior midfielder Kacey Lawrence and an assist from Kalitta.
Placing the cherry on top of a remarkable game from the Buckeyes, junior forward Kailyn Dudukovich finished off the match with the Buckeyes’ fourth goal of the game in the 88th minute. Dudukovich’s goal marked her 11th of the season. She is currently third in the conference for goals scored.
This win comes after a tough 1-0 loss for the Buckeyes against Rutgers Thursday.
“After Rutgers, we were super disappointed, we knew that wasn’t a good example of what we are as a team, so we knew today was going to be a great opportunity and we really took advantage of it,” Sears said.
The loss leaves the Wolverines out of the Big Ten tournament taking place in the next couple of weeks as they finish as the No. 9 seed. For the Buckeyes, this ensures their spot in the tournament and pushes them ahead to finish in the No. 6 spot of the Big Ten standings.
“The season is an evolution, and every game you learn something about yourself, the collective learning we’ve done this year has been massive. We’ve been learning to be the best version of ourselves,” Walker-Hock said. “This is the most complete game we’ve played all season, and I think it came at the right time.”
The Buckeyes, seeded seventh, will play against Nebraska on the road in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament Sunday at 1 p.m.
