Graduate midfielder Leanne Bough (1) scored her third goal of the season to kick things off for No. 18 Ohio State in their 6-0 rout of Stanford Friday. Credit: Rachel Jaycox | Lantern Photo File
With the pressure on for No. 18 Ohio State (6-1) coming off its first loss of the season, it made a statement 6-0 shutout win against No. 22 Stanford (1-4) Sunday at Buckeye Varsity Field.
The Buckeyes fell for the first time Friday to No. 5 Louisville 2-1 at Trager Stadium in Kentucky. Head coach Jared Martin said they knew what they needed to improve upon coming into their game against Stanford.
“We definitely talked about the things from Louisville that we really liked and wanted to continue, which I thought happened,” Martin said.
The Buckeyes were aggressive out of the gate with two shots attempted by graduate midfielder Leanne Bough at the 5:40 and 5:44 marks but were blocked by Stanford goalie Daisy Ford.
“We had a quick start, which I liked, came out aggressive,” Martin said. “We didn’t know how this game would turn out since Stanford is a great team, but putting shots on goal and being on rebounds was great to see, was a great response to a tough Friday loss.”
During the first period, there were five shots, two saves and four penalty corners for Ohio State. Stanford countered with two shots and one save, but neither team scored.
That quickly changed when Ohio State junior midfielder Cameryn Forgash found the back of the net 2 1/2 minutes into the second period. The second goal belonged to freshman midfielder Brenna Bough and came just 40 seconds after the first, with senior forward Makenna Webster with the assist.
The third and fourth goals were made at the 19:03 and 21:53 marks by Brenna Bough with a swift backhand shot over Stanford’s Ford and an unassisted goal by Webster.
By the end of the first half, Ohio State attempted 10 shots — four of them resulting in goals.
“At halftime, we said we have to reset, come back out here, keep our integrity of team defense, good pass on offense, and I thought they did that in the second half, which is nice,” Martin said.
Doing exactly that, freshman midfielder Cam Standish scored the Buckeyes’ fifth goal — her first of the season and collegiate career. She said staying motivated helped her and the team stay consistent in scoring.
“I think just bringing out the energy to kind of reset and just keep pushing to get more goals throughout this game is really important, and I believe we did that well,” Standish said.
It was icing on the cake for the Buckeyes when graduate midfielder Leanne Bough scored the final goal of the contest off a penalty corner, assisted by junior midfielder Claudia Thomas and Standish. It marked Leanne Bough’s third goal of the season.
Standish said she appreciates the pressure of playing strong opponents and thinks it helps the team improve week to week.
“Throughout this season, we’re getting better and better, stronger and stronger and working on what we need to from each game,” Standish said. “I think the pressure just helps us to stay alert.”
The Buckeyes will play against Michigan Friday at Buckeye Varsity Field at 4 p.m.
