Ohio State Heads to Michigan/NIKE Classic To Face Two Nationally-Ranked Foes – Ohio State Buckeyes
9/8/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Sept. 8, 2000
%^$COLUMBUS, Ohio–The Buckeyes stood up to fierce competition from two nationally-%^$ranked opponents last weekend, leaving the Ellis Copy Tiger Invitational with a 2-2 record%^$overall. Ohio State now travels to the University of Michigan NIKE Invitational to compete%^$against two squads that cracked the national Top 25 rankings for the first time this season%^$–No. 12 Missouri at 2 p.m. Friday and No. 24 Washington at noon Sunday.%^$
%^$Eckles Leads Conference
%^$With three goals and three assists in her last three games, Lindsay Eckles not only leads%^$Ohio State in scoring, she also is the conference leader in scoring with nine points. Eckles’%^$three goals tie her with six other conference players for second in the Big Ten in goals%^$scored.%^$Eckles and teammate Emily Thorpe also are tied for the conference lead in assists with three.%^$
%^$Scouting Missouri
%^$The Tigers prowl into Michigan this weekend with a 3-1 record. Missouri is ranked No. 12 by%^$NSCAA and No. 25 by Soccer Buzz after sweeping then no. 23 Florida State (2-1) and No. 12%^$Wake Forest (2-0) to win their own Ellis Copy Invitational in Columbia, Mo last weekend.%^$Fourth-year coach Bryan Blitz leads a team with one of the top scorers in the nation in%^$senior Nikki Thole, Missouri’s all time scorer (122 points), career goal leader (51) and%^$assist leader (21).%^$Along side Thole is freshman Adriene Davis, who leads the team with three goals and three%^$assists on the young season.%^$Junior goalkeeper Graham Watson backstops the defense with her 20 saves and .870 goals%^$against average.%^$This will be the first-ever match between Missouri and Ohio State.%^$
%^$Scouting Washington
%^$Fifth year coach Lesle Gallimore’s Huskies are riding high after a 2-1 upset victory at No.%^$4 Santa Clara which snapped Santa Clara’s 32-game home winning streak dating back to 1997.%^$Washington’s 4-0 start is the best start for a Huskie team in its 10-year history.%^$With the Huskies looking to reach the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time in the last six%^$years, senior Tami Bennett and junior Caroline Putz have lead the team in scoring with four%^$goals each with Bennett adding two assists to Putz’s one. The remainder of the team has%^$contributed six goals and nine assists.%^$With Bennett and Putz contributing to the Tiger’s 3.5 goals per game average, the defense has only allowed 2 goals in four games.%^$Patroling the net is sophomore keeper Hope Solo. Solo has played in all four games and has allowed only one goal while saving 17 shots for a .944 save percentage.%^$This will be the first-ever match between the Buckeyes and Huskies.%^$
%^$Last Week
%^$Ohio State bounced back on Sunday after falling to Wake Forest to defeat then no. 18 Florida%^$State 2-1 behind the scoring prowess of Lindsay Eckles. Eckles placed the ball in the back%^$of the net in the first two minutes of the game to give the Buckeyes an early 1-0 lead and%^$extend her scoring streak to three straight games. Freshman Jennica Kidd tallied her first%^$career goal and what proved to be the game winner for Ohio State.%^$In the opening game of the Missouri/Ellis Copy Invitational, no. 11 Wake Forest defeated%^$Ohio State 2-1 in overtime. Eckles recorded a goal in the 10th minute to give the Buckeyes%^$an early 1-0 lead but was unable to fend off the Demon Deacons down the stretch.%^$
%^$Next Week
%^$Ohio State returns home next week. The Buckeyes will face the Dayton Flyers at 2 p.m. Friday, Sept. 15.
