Sophomore forward/midfielder Amanda Schlueter (2) during the game against Iowa on Sept. 19th. Credit: Courtesy of Ohio State Athletics
Two goals in the first seven minutes earned Buckeyes head coach Lori Walker-Hock her 300th career win for Ohio State.
Back-to-back goals by senior midfielder Peyton McNamara and senior forward Kailyn Dudukovich helped No. 7 Ohio State (9-1-3, 4-0-2 Big Ten) defeat Maryland (3-7-4, 0-5-1 Big Ten) 3-0 at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium Friday night.
Walker-Hock credited her monumental win to her supporting cast.
“There’s been a lot of people helping along the way whether that’s players or assistant coaches, and it’s just something I’m proud of,” Walker-Hock said. “It just makes me think of all the people that have helped contribute to our success.”
McNamara said she knows they can be even better.
“We stay focused on knowing that we’re a good team, but there are always new levels that we can reach,” McNamara said, “Just knowing our potential and not settling for anything is how it’s going to keep us going for the rest of the season.”
To open the game, in the seventh minute, sophomore midfielder/forward Amanda Schlueter took a shot that was deflected by a Maryland defender and put in by McNamara to put the Buckeyes up 1-0 early. This was Schlueter’s first goal of the season after being out with an injury.
“We always joke that Maryland’s my team,” McNamara said. “I scored four against them my freshman year, so we joke that I’m always able to find the back of the net against Maryland. So to get one tonight was awesome.”
Twenty-four seconds later, the Buckeyes got another.
Dudukovich dribbled past several Maryland defenders and scored her 12th goal of the season off another assist by Schlueter.
This goal was Dudukovich’s 37th of her career, placing her at second in program history, just three goals behind former Buckeye Tiffany Cameron.
Later on, Ohio State put in seven bench players, giving experience to the younger players. McNamara said it’s nice for the younger players to get game action to develop their depth.
“It’s good to have trust in players when they come on the field, knowing that they are also out there fighting hard, working to get the job done,” McNamara said.
After several missed opportunities, in the 68th minute, defender/midfielder Jacinda Bonham scored off an assist by Schlueter, marking her first collegiate goal.
The Buckeyes outshot the Terrapins 20-6 en route to their sixth shutout of the season.
The Buckeyes take on Minnesota Thursday at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium with kickoff set for 7 p.m.
