Head coach Lori Walker-Hock before the Buckeyes matchup against the University of South Carolina at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium on Aug 29. Ohio State tied 1-1 with the Gamecocks. Credit: Aiden Ridgway | Lantern Reporter
One final home game stands between the No. 21 Buckeyes and the Big Ten Tournament.
Ohio State (10-4-3, 5-3-2 Big Ten) and No. 15 Penn State (11-4-3, 5-3-2 Big Ten) will face off Sunday at noon.
The Buckeyes and Nittany Lions have found similar success this season.
Penn State is led by forward Kaitlyn MacBean, who’s tallied 13 goals on the season compared to Ohio State standout senior forward Kailyn Dudukovich, who has recorded 15.
“It’ll be super competitive, but when you are playing your rival, your responsibility is to care enough to show up and give it your best, and so, that’s what I love about rivalry games — everything else is just out the window,” head coach Lori Walker-Hock said.
The Buckeyes have lost their last two matchups 1-0, both on late-game penalty kicks. Despite these losses, Ohio State’s performances still showed what the team has to offer, Walker-Hock said.
“It was probably the two games I’ve enjoyed the most because it allowed the player’s capacities to shine. With that in mind, I think that the worst way to determine those high-quality games is with penalty kicks,” Walker-Hock said.
Considering the Buckeyes were shut out twice in a row, Dudukovich and sophomore forward Amanda Schlueter have been unable to earn points, putting them at No. 2 and No. 4 in Big Ten season stats with 31 and 24 points, respectively, after being ranked first and second earlier in the season.
The Buckeyes are looking to get on the board early against Penn State and showcase the skills they’ve developed throughout the season.
“I think just playing to our strengths is something that we have been working towards all year,” Dudukovich said. “Working on tactical things, but also just playing our game and trying to score early and often to get on the right foot.”
The Buckeyes’ seed in the Big Ten Tournament will be determined by the result of their game against Penn State, but they’re not looking that far ahead just yet.
“We’re focused on Penn State right now, but once we get through that, we have the belief that we can beat anyone,” Dudukovich said.
