After getting a win, loss and a draw in the last three games, the Ohio State men's soccer team are looking to close out their regular season campaign with a home win against Wisconsin on Sunday.
The Buckeyes had three commendable performances in a row, with only one of them leading to a win.
That win came against in-state rival Wright State, who travelled to Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium with only three wins. Ohio State showed their superiority through much of the first half, going a goal up through Sage Gardner's penalty kick. But a lack of concentration cost them that lead and the momentum, as the Raiders' leading scorer Brett Elder equalized with only 5 minutes to go in the half.
The home team did find their way again though, with senior Chris Hegngi netting only his second goal of the season. It was good enough to give Ohio State a 2-1 victory, their 5th home win and 6th overall.
A week later it was arguably the Buckeyes's biggest game of the year, as #2 ranked Akron came into Columbus for what was to be their most difficult test yet.
Even though Akron had the majority of the possession and play, Ohio State could honestly say that the game produced some of their best attacking of the year. The Buckeyes created at least 5-6 strong saves from Zips goalie David Meves, each one seemingly better than the last.
Eventually the Ohio State defense came undone, and Akron ran away with the victory thanks to a solitary goal from Reinaldo Brenes.
Ohio State's final road game of the year was in State College, Pennsylvania, as they face the Penn State Nittany Lions.
In what can only be described as a topsy-turvy tussle, the two teams battled to a 4-4 draw. The hosts took the lead in only the ninth minute, but the Buckeyes came storming back to take a 2-1 lead with goals from Kenny Cunningham and Chris Hegngi. Penn State did equalize minutes later through Marvin Ledgister, and it was 2-2 going into the dressing rooms.
The second half looked to have been going the Nittany Lions way, as goals from Julian Cordona and Daniel Parr gave them what looked like an unassailable 4-2 lead with 10 minutes to go.
But Ohio State had other ideas. A Louie Berra strike in the 81st minute, and an own goal in the 88th gave them an unlikely reprieve, and the game somehow went into overtime.
Neither side could find a winner, and Ohio State came out with what must be considered a precious point. It was the Buckeyes first result of any kind in the Big Ten, a stat which highlights the difficulties they've experienced.
They have a chance to finally get a win in conference, in their last game of the season against Wisconsin. Though the Buckeyes sit last in the Big Ten standings, the Badgers are right above them with only one win. An Ohio State victory on Sunday could pull them equal with the team from Madison, with their conference records becoming identical, though Wisconsin would have one less loss the season overall.
In any case, this Buckeyes squad will go into the Big Ten tournament as one of its two lowest seeds, meaning the message is clear: the road to a conference championship will be an extremely tough one.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Buckeyes Can't Turn Butler Win Into Momentum
After their biggest victory of the season - a 4-1 demolition of the Butler Bulldogs - the Ohio State men's soccer team looked to finally start performing in the consistent fashion that they had lacked up to that point.
With three of their next four matchups coming against Big Ten opponents, the Buckeyes knew that this stretch of games could put them right back in conference contention. In the end, those three games did the exact opposite.
Three one-goal losses to Michigan, Michigan State and Northwestern respectively mean the Buckeyes are now sitting at 0-4 in conference play and are at the foot of the standings.
Their first game in Ann Arbor is probably the one that coach John Bluem knows his team should've had. Taking a 2-1 lead 15 minutes the second half, Ohio State then gave up a goal only to the Wolverines only 12 seconds later. The goal shocked the entire side and even though they made it into the second overtime period, they couldn't prevent a Michigan victory.
After that it was a home game against the Spartans, another winless team in the Big Ten. Even with their similar records, it was the the away who looked much more accomplished, restricting Ohio State to virtually no offensive pressure. Yianni Sarris's clinical strike late in the match looked to have potentially salvaged the situation for his team, but the result was never in doubt as Michigan State held on for the 2-1 win.
On the following Wednesday it was the Bowling Green State Falcons who rollied into Columbus, and Ohio State got a morale-boosting 2-0 victory. Dominating just about every aspect of the match, the Buckeyes looked solid in midfield and for once were clinical with their opportunities.
But their tough Big Ten campaign continued as they visited Northwestern, one of the top teams in the conference. Though coach Bluem was happy with his team's effort, they couldn't break down the Wildcat defense and therefore ensured that Ohio State still hadn't picked up a point on the road in four attempts.
With only four games left in the regular season the team know they are out of the conference championship picture. The positive they do have is that three of those games are at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium, the site of the team's only victories.
Though the games against Akron at home and Penn State on the road will certainly be difficult ones, the Buckeyes are hoping that they could at least split the end of the season stretch, and finally start feeling a little better about their play heading into the postseason.
With three of their next four matchups coming against Big Ten opponents, the Buckeyes knew that this stretch of games could put them right back in conference contention. In the end, those three games did the exact opposite.
Three one-goal losses to Michigan, Michigan State and Northwestern respectively mean the Buckeyes are now sitting at 0-4 in conference play and are at the foot of the standings.
Their first game in Ann Arbor is probably the one that coach John Bluem knows his team should've had. Taking a 2-1 lead 15 minutes the second half, Ohio State then gave up a goal only to the Wolverines only 12 seconds later. The goal shocked the entire side and even though they made it into the second overtime period, they couldn't prevent a Michigan victory.
After that it was a home game against the Spartans, another winless team in the Big Ten. Even with their similar records, it was the the away who looked much more accomplished, restricting Ohio State to virtually no offensive pressure. Yianni Sarris's clinical strike late in the match looked to have potentially salvaged the situation for his team, but the result was never in doubt as Michigan State held on for the 2-1 win.
On the following Wednesday it was the Bowling Green State Falcons who rollied into Columbus, and Ohio State got a morale-boosting 2-0 victory. Dominating just about every aspect of the match, the Buckeyes looked solid in midfield and for once were clinical with their opportunities.
But their tough Big Ten campaign continued as they visited Northwestern, one of the top teams in the conference. Though coach Bluem was happy with his team's effort, they couldn't break down the Wildcat defense and therefore ensured that Ohio State still hadn't picked up a point on the road in four attempts.
With only four games left in the regular season the team know they are out of the conference championship picture. The positive they do have is that three of those games are at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium, the site of the team's only victories.
Though the games against Akron at home and Penn State on the road will certainly be difficult ones, the Buckeyes are hoping that they could at least split the end of the season stretch, and finally start feeling a little better about their play heading into the postseason.
Monday, October 15, 2012
Ohio State Women's Volleyball (Flo Hyman Collegiate Cup Recap)
On September 14th and 15th the Buckeye Women's Volleyball team played in the Flo Hyman Collegiate cup in Houston, Texas. The team had a tough showing, going 1-2 in the tournament with losses to Pepperdine and Florida State before beating Houston in their tournament finale.
Starting out on the 14th, Ohio State faced off against then No. 18 Pepperdine. The Buckeyes played solid, but couldn't quite put it all together as they ended up getting swept (0-3). This match moved Pepperdine to 8-3 overall and the Buckeyes dropped to 8-2.
For Ohio State, Emily Danks and Mari Hole led the way, nothing unusual about that. Danks finished with 10 kills and 2 aces while Hole tallied 11 kills and an ace but also came up with 6 hitting errors and one service error. Kaitlyn Leary chipped in with 8 kills and Amanda Peterson finished with 21 assists. Davi DiSalvatore, the team's libero, only played two sets and tallied only 8 digs. For the Waves, Jazmine Orozco and Katie Messing tied for the team lead with 13 kills each, Victoria Adelhelm added 10 while setter Kellie Woolever had 5 to go along with 40 assists.
The following day Ohio State fell 1-3 against Florida State. The set scores were as follows: Ohio State 18-25, 25-22, 13-25, 13-25.
Florida State was ranked No. 11 at the time.
The lone bright spot was the second set as the Buckeye women were demolished in the other three. Mari Hole (15), Mariah Booth (11), and Emily Danks (10) all got into double digits in the kills column. Danks added 3 aces and senior setter Amanda Peterson picked up 33 assists. Davi DiSalvatore led the team with 11 digs and Booth was also in on 5 blocks.
Later on that day, Ohio State took on the host Houston Cougars and finally got a win in the tournament. This victory marked their second triumph over the Cougars this season, the Buckeyes opened up their year with a 3-0 sweep over Houston on August 24th.
The Buckeyes may not have swept this match, but they still dominated for the most part. The set scores were: Ohio State 25-19, 25-16, 19-25, 25-13.
Mariah Booth had a spectacular game, tallying 17 kills on 19 attempts with 0 (!) errors. This came out to a .895 attack rate. Hole added 10 kills but had 9 errors while Danks did her part with 11 kills and 4 aces. DiSalvatore led the team with 24 digs and Peterson had 47 assists on the match.
Starting out on the 14th, Ohio State faced off against then No. 18 Pepperdine. The Buckeyes played solid, but couldn't quite put it all together as they ended up getting swept (0-3). This match moved Pepperdine to 8-3 overall and the Buckeyes dropped to 8-2.
For Ohio State, Emily Danks and Mari Hole led the way, nothing unusual about that. Danks finished with 10 kills and 2 aces while Hole tallied 11 kills and an ace but also came up with 6 hitting errors and one service error. Kaitlyn Leary chipped in with 8 kills and Amanda Peterson finished with 21 assists. Davi DiSalvatore, the team's libero, only played two sets and tallied only 8 digs. For the Waves, Jazmine Orozco and Katie Messing tied for the team lead with 13 kills each, Victoria Adelhelm added 10 while setter Kellie Woolever had 5 to go along with 40 assists.
The following day Ohio State fell 1-3 against Florida State. The set scores were as follows: Ohio State 18-25, 25-22, 13-25, 13-25.
Florida State was ranked No. 11 at the time.
The lone bright spot was the second set as the Buckeye women were demolished in the other three. Mari Hole (15), Mariah Booth (11), and Emily Danks (10) all got into double digits in the kills column. Danks added 3 aces and senior setter Amanda Peterson picked up 33 assists. Davi DiSalvatore led the team with 11 digs and Booth was also in on 5 blocks.
Later on that day, Ohio State took on the host Houston Cougars and finally got a win in the tournament. This victory marked their second triumph over the Cougars this season, the Buckeyes opened up their year with a 3-0 sweep over Houston on August 24th.
The Buckeyes may not have swept this match, but they still dominated for the most part. The set scores were: Ohio State 25-19, 25-16, 19-25, 25-13.
Mariah Booth had a spectacular game, tallying 17 kills on 19 attempts with 0 (!) errors. This came out to a .895 attack rate. Hole added 10 kills but had 9 errors while Danks did her part with 11 kills and 4 aces. DiSalvatore led the team with 24 digs and Peterson had 47 assists on the match.
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Women's Hockey: Buckeyes Sweep First Conference Series
Ohio State
made known its prowess in the WCHA last weekend, notching a pair of road
victories in its first conference series of the season. In two games, the
Buckeyes swept Minnesota Duluth, improved their overall record to 4-0, and
moved to tenth in the USCHO.com Division 1 Women’s Poll.
Ohio State 3,
Minnesota Duluth 1
The Scarlet
and Gray opened the scoring early when Kayla Sullivan lit the lamp 55 seconds
into the game.
Later in
the period, captain Hokey Langan scored to give the Buckeyes a 2-0 advantage
and give herself a better chance of leaving the team with her name in the
record books. Langan’s goal was the 47th of her career and tied her
for fifth all-time in goals scored at Ohio State.
Senior
forward Katie Wilson eventually put the home team on the board midway through
the first to cut the Buckeyes lead in half.
Neither
team found the back of the net in the middle period, though Paige Semenza was
able to score once in the third to cement Ohio State’s first road-win of the
season.
Buckeye
goaltender Chelsea Knapp followed her impressive season opener against
Lindenwood with 16 saves in her first meeting against Duluth.
Ohio State 3,
Minnesota Duluth 2
Mintuu Tuominen timed her first
goals of the season perfectly as her two tallies helped the visiting Buckeyes
sidestep a date with revenge. The Bulldogs, though desperate to avenge their
loss on Friday night, were unable to stop Tuominen’s late-game heroics.
Unlike
Friday night, Duluth did not wait for the Buckeyes to make the first move.
Jessica Wong gave the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead only 15 seconds into the first
period.
The quick
goal roused Ohio State and gave the squad energy to secure a lead before 20
minutes passed. First, forward Taylor Kuehl recorded her second goal of the
season, then 12 minutes into the frame Tuominen scored on the powerplay to five
the Buckeyes a 2-1 lead.
Shortly
into the third period the Bulldogs evened the score; however, Duluth could not
add another goal to earn a home victory.
With nearly
three minutes remaining in regulation, Tuominen made it 3-2 with help from her
teammates Paige Semenza and Kari Schmitt. The score would hold to give Ohio
State a 2-0-conference record heading into a tough weekend series against No. 6
ranked North Dakota.
Monday, October 8, 2012
Ohio State Women's Volleyball (WKU Tournament recap)
After going 3-0 in the Maryland Invitational, the Buckeyes made their way down to Bowling Green, KY for the WKU Tournament. The Buckeyes again went 3-0 as they beat Dayton (3-2), IUPUI (3-1), and Western Kentucky (3-1).
Dayton, ranked #10 in the nation at the time, gave Ohio State a tough 5 set match but the Bucks proved to be too much as they won 25-22, 21-25, 25-20, 21-25, 15-12.
Mari Hole again led the way with 21 kills on 52 attacks while Mariah Booth had her best match of the season to that point with 17 kills on 29 attacks. Emily Danks had her share of struggles with only 12 kills on 40 attempts to go with 5 errors. This came out to a .175 percentage. Senior setter Amanda Peterson chipped in with 6 kills and 30 assists while libero Davi DiSalvatore had 2 aces and 18 digs.
For Daytong, Rachel Krabacher recorded 26 kills while Megan Campbell and Shayne Brown chipped in with 10 each.
Later on the same day, Ohio State had an up and down match against IUPUI. The Buckeyes dominated the first set before struggling in the next two and shutting it down in the 4th set. OSU ended up winning 25-9, 22-25, 26-24, 25-16.
Four different Buckeyes had double digit kills. Hole again had a team high 18, Kaitlyn Leary had 17, Booth recorded 13, and (by her standards) Danks struggled again with 12 kills and 6 errors on 31 attacks. Peterson had 17 assists in two sets at setter while normal backup Taylor Sherwin had 34 assists in extensive action throughout the other three sets of the match.
Kelsey Hoefer had 12 kills for IUPUI while Moriah Fair added 10.
On September 8th Ohio State matched up against the host team, Western Kentucky, and won 3-1. The scores were as follows: 25-17, 25-18, 21-25, 25-23.
Hole had another solid match with 13 kills while Leary added 10, Danks struggled yet again with 6 errors and only 9 kills and Amanda Peterson did her part with 31 assists and 16 digs.
Jordyn Skinner had 15 kills for WKU but also had 10 errors and Heather Boyan added in 10 kills of her own. Setter Melanie Stutsman had 40 assists on the match.
Dayton, ranked #10 in the nation at the time, gave Ohio State a tough 5 set match but the Bucks proved to be too much as they won 25-22, 21-25, 25-20, 21-25, 15-12.
Mari Hole again led the way with 21 kills on 52 attacks while Mariah Booth had her best match of the season to that point with 17 kills on 29 attacks. Emily Danks had her share of struggles with only 12 kills on 40 attempts to go with 5 errors. This came out to a .175 percentage. Senior setter Amanda Peterson chipped in with 6 kills and 30 assists while libero Davi DiSalvatore had 2 aces and 18 digs.
For Daytong, Rachel Krabacher recorded 26 kills while Megan Campbell and Shayne Brown chipped in with 10 each.
Later on the same day, Ohio State had an up and down match against IUPUI. The Buckeyes dominated the first set before struggling in the next two and shutting it down in the 4th set. OSU ended up winning 25-9, 22-25, 26-24, 25-16.
Four different Buckeyes had double digit kills. Hole again had a team high 18, Kaitlyn Leary had 17, Booth recorded 13, and (by her standards) Danks struggled again with 12 kills and 6 errors on 31 attacks. Peterson had 17 assists in two sets at setter while normal backup Taylor Sherwin had 34 assists in extensive action throughout the other three sets of the match.
Kelsey Hoefer had 12 kills for IUPUI while Moriah Fair added 10.
On September 8th Ohio State matched up against the host team, Western Kentucky, and won 3-1. The scores were as follows: 25-17, 25-18, 21-25, 25-23.
Hole had another solid match with 13 kills while Leary added 10, Danks struggled yet again with 6 errors and only 9 kills and Amanda Peterson did her part with 31 assists and 16 digs.
Jordyn Skinner had 15 kills for WKU but also had 10 errors and Heather Boyan added in 10 kills of her own. Setter Melanie Stutsman had 40 assists on the match.
Ohio State Women's Volleyball (Maryland Invitaional Recap)
After going 2-1 with a loss to Oregon in the Championship Match of the DC Koehl Classic back in August, Ohio State made their way out to College Park for the Maryland Invitational.
On August 31st the Buckeyes opened up the tournament with a 3-0 shellacking of Binghamton. In dominating fashion the Buckeyes were relentless winning 25-11, 25-20, 25-11. Emily danks had a solid match for the Buckeyes with 7 kills on 16 attacks, Mari Hole had 13 kills and only 3 errors on 26 attacks. After that the Ohio State offensive attack was spread around with Mariah Booth and Kaitlyn Leary recording 5 kills apiece while Erin Sekinger and senior setter Amanda Peterson each tallied 4.
Alex Roland led the way for Binghamton with eight kills, her team was plagued by 19 attacking errors while Ohio State only had 7.
On the first of September the Buckeye Women won their second match of the tournament against Seton Hall in another sweep. The scores of each set were as follows 25-22, 25-21, 25-14.
While it was not quite the dominating performance that Ohio State put up against Binghamton, it was still another solid outing. Mari Hole had a monster match with 25 (!) kills on 43 attacks. This was the time of match many have come to expect out of Hole. Emily Danks added 12 kills on 28 attempts but also had 5 errors and Mariah Booth chipped in with another 8 kills.
Seton Hall really spread the ball around on offense with Simona Sekulova recording a team high 7 kills on 10 attempts. Stacy Manthorpe really struggled against the Buckeyes, managing only 2 kills on 21 attacks.
Later on the same day it was Danks' turn to shine, she turned in 24 kills on 50 (!) attacks in Ohio State's 3-2 victory over Maryland. Ohio State ended up winning 14-25, 22-25, 25-13, 25-22, 15-5.
The Buckeyes did an amazing job digging themselves out of a 0-2 hole to win a tough match. Hole also had a decent outing with 13 kills, although she also had 6 errors on 44 attacks leading to a .159 hitting average. Mariah booth added 9 kills and freshman Katie Mitchell tallied 7.
Three Maryland players Remy McBain (10), Ashleigh Crutcher (19), and Adreene Elliott (13) recorded double digit kills.
On August 31st the Buckeyes opened up the tournament with a 3-0 shellacking of Binghamton. In dominating fashion the Buckeyes were relentless winning 25-11, 25-20, 25-11. Emily danks had a solid match for the Buckeyes with 7 kills on 16 attacks, Mari Hole had 13 kills and only 3 errors on 26 attacks. After that the Ohio State offensive attack was spread around with Mariah Booth and Kaitlyn Leary recording 5 kills apiece while Erin Sekinger and senior setter Amanda Peterson each tallied 4.
Alex Roland led the way for Binghamton with eight kills, her team was plagued by 19 attacking errors while Ohio State only had 7.
On the first of September the Buckeye Women won their second match of the tournament against Seton Hall in another sweep. The scores of each set were as follows 25-22, 25-21, 25-14.
While it was not quite the dominating performance that Ohio State put up against Binghamton, it was still another solid outing. Mari Hole had a monster match with 25 (!) kills on 43 attacks. This was the time of match many have come to expect out of Hole. Emily Danks added 12 kills on 28 attempts but also had 5 errors and Mariah Booth chipped in with another 8 kills.
Seton Hall really spread the ball around on offense with Simona Sekulova recording a team high 7 kills on 10 attempts. Stacy Manthorpe really struggled against the Buckeyes, managing only 2 kills on 21 attacks.
Later on the same day it was Danks' turn to shine, she turned in 24 kills on 50 (!) attacks in Ohio State's 3-2 victory over Maryland. Ohio State ended up winning 14-25, 22-25, 25-13, 25-22, 15-5.
The Buckeyes did an amazing job digging themselves out of a 0-2 hole to win a tough match. Hole also had a decent outing with 13 kills, although she also had 6 errors on 44 attacks leading to a .159 hitting average. Mariah booth added 9 kills and freshman Katie Mitchell tallied 7.
Three Maryland players Remy McBain (10), Ashleigh Crutcher (19), and Adreene Elliott (13) recorded double digit kills.
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
McAnena the main man for OSU
In a little over 70 minutes last Wednesday, Ohio State captain Austin McAnena went from being goalless on the season to the top of the team's scoring charts.
The midfielder netted the Buckeyes' first three goals in their matchup against the Butler Bulldogs at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium, which they eventually won 4-1/
It was a day that McAnena wholeheartedly deserved after his performances through the first half of the campaign.
Ohio State's record (4-6-1) may not be one that they are particularly happy with, but their no.11 can certainly be pleased with his season so far.
No matter where he has been on the pitch, McAnena is always the first player his teammates look to. His ability to keep the ball in tight areas coupled with his skill at taking defenders on makes him the undoubted top dribbler for the Scarlet & Gray. Along with that there is the accuracy and quality of his passing, which is probably only bettered by his teammate Louie Berra.
But the match against Bulldogs gave him a chance to show he had an eye for goal as well, and that could prove to be an important part of Ohio State's end to the season.
He already was tied for the team lead in assists with three, but his treble of goals against Butler means he leads the squad in both offensive categories.
Now with McAnena the leader on the pitch and on paper, the hope is that the Buckeyes can kick their form into the next gear as their Big Ten schedule gets in full swing.
Having already lost to Indiana and Michigan respectively, Ohio State's next game against Michigan State is even more important. Starting off 0-3 in the Big Ten is the last thing coach John Bluem and his staff would want, but a win could give the team a huge boost.
With players like McAnena and Chris Hegngi (who scored his first goal of the season over the weekend) beginning to find that net, all signs point to a strong finish to the season for the men from Columbus.
The midfielder netted the Buckeyes' first three goals in their matchup against the Butler Bulldogs at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium, which they eventually won 4-1/
It was a day that McAnena wholeheartedly deserved after his performances through the first half of the campaign.
Ohio State's record (4-6-1) may not be one that they are particularly happy with, but their no.11 can certainly be pleased with his season so far.
No matter where he has been on the pitch, McAnena is always the first player his teammates look to. His ability to keep the ball in tight areas coupled with his skill at taking defenders on makes him the undoubted top dribbler for the Scarlet & Gray. Along with that there is the accuracy and quality of his passing, which is probably only bettered by his teammate Louie Berra.
But the match against Bulldogs gave him a chance to show he had an eye for goal as well, and that could prove to be an important part of Ohio State's end to the season.
He already was tied for the team lead in assists with three, but his treble of goals against Butler means he leads the squad in both offensive categories.
Now with McAnena the leader on the pitch and on paper, the hope is that the Buckeyes can kick their form into the next gear as their Big Ten schedule gets in full swing.
Having already lost to Indiana and Michigan respectively, Ohio State's next game against Michigan State is even more important. Starting off 0-3 in the Big Ten is the last thing coach John Bluem and his staff would want, but a win could give the team a huge boost.
With players like McAnena and Chris Hegngi (who scored his first goal of the season over the weekend) beginning to find that net, all signs point to a strong finish to the season for the men from Columbus.
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