Senior midfielder Christin Baumbick signaling to a teammate in Ohio State’s 6-0 win over Oakland Aug. 31, 2023. Credit: Caleb Blake | Lantern Photo Editor
Soccer Sundays are back in full swing for Ohio State at the Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. A tight matchup ended in a win for the Buckeyes on Sunday.
The battle between the two goliaths finished with Ohio State (4-2-1, 0-0-0 Big Ten) besting the No. 2 Auburn University Tigers (4-2-2, 0-0-0 SEC) 2-0 Sunday afternoon.
This marks the Buckeyes’ third home win in a row with a combined total of 12 goals.
Ohio State came out with a bang on back-to-back goals in the 16th and 23rd minutes, respectively, from senior forward Emma Sears and freshman forward Amanda Schlueter assisted by junior forward Kailyn Dudukovich.
Sears previously decided not to take advantage of her extra COVID-19 year, but at the last minute changed her mind and rejoined the team ahead of Thursday’s match. This now marks Sears’ first goal following her impromptu return.
“I missed the team and the camaraderie,” Sears said. “There’s no better feeling than scoring a goal so I’m super excited to get after the rest of the season. I love playing at home, there’s just a different energy [here].”
Ohio State head coach Lori Walker-Hock said she’s happy to have Sears return to the pitch after eight months away.
“[Emma] brings a great level of gratitude and humility in her presence. Everything she does is very selfless right now, so for her to take players on in wide areas and get a goal for herself is going to make her feel like a really important part of the team again,” Walker-Hock said. “It’s a great thing to have from a fifth-year senior.”
Closing out the first half, the Buckeyes’ offense kept the pressure on the Tiger’s goal while leading 2-0. Ohio State made sure its presence was felt, dominating the field with seven shots on goal to the Tigers’ two.
The powerful Southeastern Conference school made it clear that although they were in Buckeye territory, they were not going down without a fight. With shots by senior midfielder Anna Haddock, fifth-year midfielder Sydney Richards, freshman forward Olivia Woodson and senior forward Maddie Simpson, the Tigers kept Buckeye goalie Molly Pritchard on her toes.
“Today [Molly] was a fantastic shot-stopper, I think it’s a combination of her shot-stopping ability and her ability to organize other people on the field, I think she’s been really growing into that role,” Walker-Hock said.
After one last attempted goal ruled offside shot by Tigers’ senior forward Olivia Candelino in the 89th minute, the match concluded in a victorious shutout from the Buckeyes 2-0.
“Every game is different, every picture is different, even every half is different,” Walker-Hock said. “I think there’s just constant adjustment and our capacity to be able to make those adjustments on the fly is going to have to continue to develop especially when we’re winning a game.”
The Buckeyes will face Michigan State in East Lansing, Michigan, for their first Big Ten conference match Sunday at 1 p.m.
