Ohio State senior forward Kailyn Dudukovich (21) holds off an opponent to maintain possession of the ball during the women’s soccer match against Michigan State Thursday. The match ended in a 2-2 tie. Credit: Faith Schneider.
A top 15 matchup between the No. 11 Buckeyes and No. 1 Michigan State brought out an intense crowd Friday at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.
Ohio State (7-1-3, 2-0-2 Big Ten) and Michigan State (8-0-3, 3-0-1 Big Ten) tied 2-2 in a back-and-forth affair that featured 30 total shots and four yellow cards.
Senior forward Kailyn Dudukovich said having Buckeye fans behind the team helps it play harder.
“You could feel the energy of the fans, and that really fuels us when things get hard or when it’s quiet, just having that extra motivation is huge for us,” Dudukovich said.
Dudukovich said despite the tie, Thursday’s game shows that Ohio State’s squad can compete with anyone.
“This is another game that shows that we can do it against the best teams in the country, and our hard-fought effort,” Dudukovich said. “We were down twice in that game, and just never believed that we were gonna lose.”
Fifteen minutes into the game, the Buckeyes had two shots compared to the Spartans’ one, despite offensive breakthroughs occurring on both sides.
The Buckeyes, however, struck first.
Off a Michigan State defender, Dudukovich made a move in the box and knocked through the game’s first goal of the night in the 26th minute.
Just 13 minutes later the Spartans responded.
An off-balance shot by Michigan State graduate Meg Hughes got redirected but found the back of the net, equalizing the score at 1-1.
Sophomore defender/midfielder Ava Bramblett fouled a Spartan player inside the box in the second half’s opening minutes. The play was reviewed and ended in a penalty kick being awarded to Michigan State.
The kick was taken by graduate keeper Kaitlyn Parks, who drilled it into the right side of the net. Junior goalkeeper Molly Pritchard went left, leading Michigan State to secure a 2-1 lead.
But in the 61st minute, Dudukovich struck again.
With a deep ball right in front of the Michigan State’s keeper, Dudukovich tied the game with a quick strike on goal. The score was jointly assisted by senior midfielder Peyton McNamara and sophomore forward/midfielder Amanda Schlueter, marking the latter’s second of the night.
In the second half, the Buckeyes outshot the Spartans 20-10, but the game was still toe-to-toe in terms of scoring chances.
Head coach Lori Walker-Hock said she sees something different in this team compared to past seasons’ rosters.
“I just told the team I think they are reaching into a part of themselves game in and game out that they haven’t really done in recent years,” Walker-Hock said. And I think they are trusting each other and finding that extra juice that you need to be a really successful team.”
The Buckeyes will play Sunday in Ann Arbor, Michigan for a rivalry game against the Michigan Wolverines. Kickoff set for 1:00 p.m.
