W Soccer: OSU Wins Again, 2-0 over Wright State – Ohio State Buckeyes
9/25/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
COLUMBUS, Ohio Ohio State picked up its third consecutive win Wednesday with a 2-0 victory over Wright State at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. Lisa Collison and Ali Schwach scored goals and Lauren Robertson recorded her 13th career shutout to lead the team’s effort.
After opening the season 0-4-2, the mini run the Buckeyes are on not only improves their record to 3-4-2, but it is occurring on the cusp of Big Ten Conference play. Ohio State travels to Indiana to meet the Hoosiers in a 2 p.m. game Sunday that will be televised by the Big Ten Network.
“Three wins in a row…that’s nice,” Ohio State coach Lori Walker said. “I like where we are right now. We still have some things that need to be addressed, but we’ve battled through some adversity and now we have to go into Indiana ready to play, and we’ll need to produce our best effort because they will be ready for us.”
The game didn’t have the drama that the overtime win over Louisville provided Sunday in front of 3,168 fans, but it was exciting with 33 total shots (17 by WSU and 16 by OSU) and 13 shots on goal, including eight by the Buckeyes.
Ohio State took control of the game about 20 minutes into the first half. The Raiders, now 5-5 on the year, were hustling early on and in the process sent three shots toward Robertson while also setting up four corner kick attempts. Walker went to her bench though and things changed. Quickly!
Collison, this week’s Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week as well as a Soccer America Team of the Week honoree, entered in the 25th minute. Less than three minutes later, she broke free one-on-one against Raider keeper Meghan Hackerson and slid a shot from about 10 yards out past Hackerson’s left for the first goal of the game. Freshman Caitlyn Martin, who had come into the game just ahead of Collison, set up the play with a through ball through the middle of the field. The assist was Martin’s fourth of the year.
Two minutes later another reserve, Ali Schwach, scored her first goal of the season to make the score 2-0. Content so far to try and set up teammates for goals, Schwach took receipt of a pass from Lauren Beachy about 35 yards out, moved it forward and then drifted to her right and fired a low liner that beat Hackerson to her left for a 2-0 cushion that would stand…with the help of some superior goalkeeping.
Robertson was terrific in goal. The junior made four saves including several huge plays to keep the Raiders off the scoreboard. Her best:
- In the 35th minute she tipped a dangerous long shot from Jen Agueci up and over the goal. She had another tip-drill save midway through the second half.
- In the 88th minute she robbed Agueci again, this time from point blank range and directly in front of the goal. She smothered the attempt and left no rebound.
With the shutout, Robertson ties Emily Hayman (2001-04) for third-place in the Ohio State record pages with 13 shutouts.
The Buckeyes, meanwhile, will enjoy the moment and then start preparing for the start of the Big Ten season on Sunday.
Game Notes, Sparkling Plays and Other Notes of Interest:
- Coach Lori Walker’s teams are now 8-1 vs. Wright State.
- The player’s choices for player of the game: Lauren Robertson, Brooke Taylor and Ali Schwach.
- The same starting lineup has started each of Ohio State’s three consecutive wins.
- To render moot that last bullet point: In the pivotal 20-minute first half stretch when Ohio State scored its goals, the players off the bench recorded five shots with four on goal (Caitlin Colfer, Caitlyn Martin and Danielle Scoliere joined Lisa Collison and Ali Schwach with shot attempts). Brooke Taylor and Taylor Moront also came in from the sidelines and were part of that run.
- Lauren Beachy’s assist was her first this season and well deserved. She had played 625 minutes of excellent soccer this season before that point.
- Martin has tied Ashley Bowyer for the team assists lead. They each have four.
- Collison needs three goals to tie Lisa Grubb’s all-time school mark of 35 goals.
- Collison has scored in three consecutive games and has seven points during that stretch and a team-high 10 for the season.
- Bowyer sent two terrific crosses from the right side, just outside the six-yard box, within seconds of each other in the second half. Ensuing headers by Paige Maxwell and Martin hit the cross bar and flew wide, respectively.
- Alex Burzynski found Lauren Steuer in the box in the 68th minute with a sweet pass that Steuer followed with an even sweeter pass to Collison on the right. Her blast was blocked at the goal mouth by a Raider defender.
- Martin found Collison with a long through ball that was a goal…if the close play hadn’t been judged offside.
- Really noticeable from the 5 p.m. low sun setting in the west: the referee’s game garb. Tonight the crew wore shiny blue shirts with black shorts and black socks trimmed by white stripes…three of them.
###OhioStateBuckeyes.com###
