Women’s Soccer: Ohio State hosts Rutgers, Duke & BTN – Ohio State Buckeyes
9/10/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
COLUMBUS, Ohio Ohio State women’s soccer continues its seven-game homestand with another exciting pair of games this weekend. At 7:30 p.m. Friday in Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium the Buckeyes will take on 3-1 Rutgers, whose only loss this year was a 1-0, 2OT game against No. 11 Penn State. Then at 1 p.m. Sunday the Buckeyes and the 4-1 and No. 12-ranked Duke Blue Devils meet in a game that will be televised live by the Big Ten Network.
SEEKING THAT FIRST W
The Buckeyes are 0-2-2 so far this season. The team opened with two unfortunate losses on the road (4-3 to Milwaukee after tying the game in the 88th minute; and 2-1 in overtime to Marquette after giving up the tying goal with six seconds to play). Last weekend, before more than 670 fans each game, Ohio State tied both Charlotte and Bowling Green, 1-1.
TICKETS AND PROMOTIONS
Tickets to see Ohio State soccer are $5 for adults, $3 for children and groups of 10 or more can purchase tickets in advance for $2 apiece. Ohio State students get in free with a valid student ID.
Meet the team autograph sessions will be held after each game. Additionally: rally towels will be given to the first 1,000 fans on Sunday and the FUNday Sunday Package is available ($7 buys one game ticket, hot dog, soda and popcorn
LIVE STATS ON THE WEB
Live statistics for both matches are available at OhioStateBuckeyes.com on the main home page, on the women’s soccer front page and also through the women’s soccer schedule page.
LIVE TELEVISION ON BTN
The Big Ten Network will air the Duke game live. Calling the action will be Bernie Guenther and Lisa Grubb, Ohio State’s all-time leading scorer (95 points between 2001-06).
THE COACHES
Lori Walker is in her 12th-year as Ohio State head coach. She has guided the team to four NCAA tournament berths (2002-03-04-07), four Big Ten tournament championship games and two Big Ten tournament titles (2002 and 2004). She has an Ohio State record of 119-94-20 and an overall mark, which includes two years at Kansas, of 132-117-21.
Rutgers is coached by Glenn Crooks. In his ninth season on the banks of the Raritan River, Crooks has led RU to a 90-64-20 record, eight berths in the BIG EAST Tournament and three trips to the NCAA tournament. Robbie Church is 83-55-16 in his eighth year at Duke. His Blue Devil squads have made six NCAA appearances, including an elite eight run last season.
SCARLET vs. SCARLET KNIGHTS
The game Friday will be the first between Ohio State and Rutgers and the third “first meeting” for Ohio State this season. First games were also played against Milwaukee and Charlotte.
BUCKEYES vs. BLUE DEVILS
The meeting Sunday between Ohio State and Duke will be the fourth match between the two schools and the first outside of games at the Duke/adidas Classic. Duke has defeated Ohio State in all three previous meetings, held at its own tournament: 3-0 in 1994; 5-0 in 1995 and 2-1 last year.
DUKE WINS, 2-1, IN 2007
Trailing Duke, 1-0, last year on a goal by Madeline McEwen, Ohio State came out strong and tied the score five minutes into the second half. Lara Dickenmann sent a drive on net that caromed in off the right goal post. Senior Amanda Ball assisted. Duke retaliated six minutes later with the game winner: Elisabeth Redmond set up C.J. Ludemann, who blasted a shot from 23-yards away that found the back of the net. Duke had 11 shots for the game while Ohio State attempted a season-low six shots.
THE 2008 SEASON…SO FAR
Ohio State’s 0-2-2 start represents the longest stretch of games to open the season without a win. It’s not like the team has played cupcakes, though. Consider:
Milwaukee is 6-0, ranked 24th nationally by NSCAA and No. 4 in the Great Lakes Region.
Marquette is 4-1 and 6th in the Great Lakes.
Charlotte, an ’07 NCAA team, is 3-1-1.
Ohio State fought back from 2-0 and 3-1 deficits at Milwaukee in its opener.
Talk about fight: Ashley Bowyer’s unassisted goal tied Milwaukee. It came in the 88th min.
CORNER KICKS…
The Buckeyes have not scored in the first half this season.
Starting defender and assistant captain Cassie Dickerson will have her knee MRI’d this week. She was injured four minutes into Charlotte game.
Five players have started all four games: GK Lauren Robertson, D Lauren Steuer & Lauren Beachy, M Ashley Bowyer, F Caitlin Colfer.
Seven frosh have appeared in all four games with M Caitlyn Martin and D Elizabeth Sullivan leading with three starts each.
Five players have scored the five goals.
Ashley Bowyer and rookie Paige Maxwell lead with seven shots apiece. Bower leads with two goals and five points.
Lisa Collison’s next goal will put her into rare air: she’ll be only the third Buckeye to reach 30 career goals. Lisa Grubb leads with 35.
Outside of GK, Steuer leads with an average of 102 minutes per game followed by Bowyer & Beachy (95 & 76 min. per game, respectively).
RUTGERS IS GOOD, REAL GOOD
Rutgers went toe-to-toe with Penn State Friday, falling 1-0 on a double-overtime golden goal with 1:06 to play. The team has wins over Lehigh, Bucknell and George Washington. Caycie Gusman leads the team with four goals. Gina DeMaio is averaging 6.0 shots per game and has a team-high five assists. Goalkeeper Erin Guthrie is allowing just 0.97 goals per game.
A cool Rutgers note…
Rutgers alum Carli Lloyd scored the gamewinning goal in the 98th minute in Team USA’s 1-0 win over Brazil in the Olympic gold medal match.
DUKE IS REAL GOOD, TOO
Duke, 4-1 heading into a Friday game at Dayton, has won 66 games the last five-plus seasons and made five consecutive NCAA appearances. The Blue Devils return nine of 11 starters and 17 letterwinners off last year’s 10-6-7 squad, which knocked off 21st-ranked South Carolina, 13th-ranked Georgia and Indiana to advance to th College Cup quarterfinals. Elizabeth Redmond leads Duke with five goals and 11 points.
10th YEAR AT JESSE OWENS
Ohio State is playing home matches in Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium for the 10th season. It has been a advantageous home. Consider:
The home team is 59-26-9 all-time there.
Ohio State is 40-9-7 the last five years there
and 15-4-3 the last two seasons.
Ohio State went 10-2 at home in 2007.
SEVEN CONSECUTIVE AT HOME
The games this weekend continue a stretch of seven consecutive home games for the Buckeyes. Ohio State won’t play on the road again until Sept. 28 at Indiana in a game that will be televised by the Big Ten Network.
ANOTHER BIG TEN NETWORK GAME
In addition to Sunday vs. Duke, the Buckeyes on the Big Ten Network Sunday, Sept. 28 vs. Indiana at Bloomington.
2008 TEAM CAPTAINS
Senior Amy Graeff and junior Ashley Bowyer are the team captains and third-year sophomore Cassie Dickerson is an assistant captain.
Open the attached pdf for more statistics, notes, comments and records on the Ohio State women’s soccer team.
###OhioStateBuckeyes.com###
