Buckeyes Pick Up Scoreless Draw at No. 8 BYU

Aug. 21, 2017

PROVO, Utah – The Ohio State women’s soccer team went toe-to-toe with the No. 8 team in the country, earning a scoreless draw against BYU in front of 2,678 fans Monday evening at South Field. The Buckeyes wrap up the first weekend 1-0-1 while the Cougars sit at 0-1-1. Ohio State opens its home schedule against Buffalo at 6 p.m. Saturday at Bert L. & Iris S. Wolstein Field at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.

“I think we watched this team mature,” Lori Walker-Hock, Ohio State head coach, said. “It was like a track meet with a soccer ball included. We hit the post twice and they hammered one off the post as well. It was just fun college soccer played by two high-level teams that should be seen in November.”

WOLCOTT TO THE RESCUE EARLY
Less than four minutes in, Madie Siddoway ran down a long ball and was able to flick it over Ohio State goalkeeper Devon Kerr but Ohio State defender Morgan Wolcott tracked back and was able to head the ball off the line to keep the match scoreless.

HOLDEN WITH A CHANCE
In the 12th minute, a deflected cross fell to the foot of Arden Holden at the center of the box but her low, left-footed strike from 12 yards narrowly missed wide right.

BOTH TEAMS FIND WOODWORK LATE IN THE HALF
With just over five minutes remaining in the first half, a failed Buckeye clearance bounced straight to BYU’s Elise Flake. Flake struck the ball from the top left of the 18-yard box toward the far post where it glanced off the post and was cleared away.

Three minutes later, Ohio State’s Nikki Walts bent a corner in from the left wing toward Wolcott at the edge of the six-yard box on the far post but her header caromed off the crossbar as the match remained scoreless heading into the half.

GOMES WITH BEST CHANCE OF SECOND 45
In the 76th minute BYU forward Nadia Gomes had the best opportunity of the second half, tracking down a through ball on the left wing, but her left-footed touch past Kerr narrowly missed wide left.

MATCH OPENS UP IN THE FIRST OVERTIME
Less than two minutes into overtime, Meghan Kammerdeiner got her head on a Kylie Knight cross from the left wing but it just missed wide left. A minute later, Eleanor Gabriel forced a lunging save by BYU goalkeeper Hannah Clark on a shot from the near right wing.

In the 95th minute, Gomes found Lizzy Braby but the right-footed strike from 15 yards on the right wing narrowly missed left.

The best chance in the second overtime came with just more than a minute remaining when Walts bent in a dangerous cross from the left wing that slipped through the center of the box before getting cleared away.

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
Shots: BYU 18, Ohio State 15
Saves: BYU 4, Ohio State 1
Shots on Goal: Ohio State 4, BYU 1
Corner Kicks: BYU 11, Ohio State 4

QUOTABLE
“I think we really learned to fight through some difficult situations on this trip. Playing Friday in 107-degree heat and starting this game at 92 degrees at altitude are the kind of things that harden your team. I’m proud of how we responded. I’m proud of the rotation of players that we were able to utilize. It was a great experience for our young players to see a team that can come at you with such numbers and such speed that BYU did. It was a pleasure to be a part of this kind of match.” – Lori Walker-Hock, Ohio State head coach

BUCKEYE BITS
– Kerr earned her third-career shutout.
– The Buckeyes are 6-1-7 in overtime matches in their last three seasons.
– Ohio State allowed just one shot on frame by the No. 8 Cougars.

UP NEXT
The Buckeyes open their home schedule against Buffalo at 6 p.m. Saturday at Bert L. & Iris S. Wolstein Field at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.

Match: Ohio State at No. 8 BYU
Date: Aug. 21, 2017
Venue: South Field – Provo, Utah
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. ET
Attendance: 2,678
Weather: Partly cloudy and 92 degrees