Ohio State Blanks Indiana, 1-0
10/21/2016 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Oct. 21, 2016
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – After falling short three times this year in one-goal games, the Ohio State field hockey team flipped the script on Friday. The Buckeyes (6-10, 1-6) received a first-half goal from Esther Clotet Alsina and then had the second half defense to make it stand up in a 1-0 victory over Indiana (8-9, 3-4) at the IU Field Hockey Complex in Bloomington.
THE SHORT STORY
After getting on the board first thanks to an offense that generated 10 first-half shots, Ohio State successfully defended four second-half penalty corners – the final one coming in the closing seconds – to earn the 1-0 victory. It’s the Buckeyes’ fifth straight win over the Hoosiers in Bloomington.
FIRST HALF DOMINANCE
The first half was all Buckeyes, as Ohio State generated 10 of the games 13 shots to go along with four penalty corners.
After a Taylor Pearson shot for IU that was swatted away by Liz Tamburro, the first of the first half was played largely in the Buckeyes’ offensive zone. Maddie Latino took the second shot of the game for Indiana at the 9:04 mark, but Ohio State’s defense clamped down and didn’t allow another one for the remaining 24:56.
Ohio State’s first penalty corner resulted in shots by Maddy Humphrey and Maartje Bongers, both of which were saved, while three more attempts came in the next three minutes. Despite generating those opportunities, the game remained scoreless. That was, however, until Clotet Alsina got her stick on the ball.
CLOTET ALSINA MAKES IT 1-0
A freshman from Barcelona, Spain and one of the top freshmen scorers in the league, Clotet Alsina notched her seventh goal of the season (in seven different games) when she backhanded a shot from approximately 10 meters out to the top left corner of the goal.
Tamburro then preserved the 1-0 lead when he saved a shot on a penalty corner in the waning seconds of the first half.
DEFENSE SEALS IT IN SECOND HALF
After a quiet first half, the Ohio State defense – made up of Tamburro in goal and Caroline Rath, Bongers, Hannah Pany and Carolina Vergroesen in front of her – successfully killed four IU penalty corners in the final 35 minutes. The Hoosiers weren’t able to generate any other scoring opportunities, as four of their five second-half shots came as a result of corners.
After pulling its goalie with just over five minutes to play, the final corner of the afternoon for Indiana loomed the largest with less than 30 seconds to play. Katie Barber, the Hoosiers top scorer with 15 goals on the year, sent the ball into the cage, but it was too high and Ohio State ran out the remainder of the clock.
JUST THE NUMBERS
Shots: Ohio State 13, Indiana 8 | Penalty Corners: Ohio State 6, Indiana 5 | Saves: Indiana 6, Ohio State 3
Scoring: Ohio State: Clotet Alsina (unassisted) 23:55
QUOTABLE
Senior Brooke Hiltz on the win: “I think today we came together and played a full 70 minutes on both ends of the field. People saw today what we’re truly capable of.”
DID YOU KNOW
• Ohio State is now 5-2 in games in which Clotet Alsina scores a goal. Her previous tallies came vs. Ball State, Kent State, Northwestern, UC Davis, Ohio and Delaware.
• The Buckeyes limited an opponent to 10 shots or less for the third time this season (9/4 vs. Ohio, 10/3 vs. Ball State and 10/21 vs. Indiana).
• Ohio State now leads the all-time vs. Indiana 17-9-1.
• Tamburro and IU goalie Noelle Rother, the reigning NFHCA National Defensive Player of the Week, came into the game ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the league in saves. While Tamburro made three saves, she also picked up her third shutout of the season.
NEXT UP
Ohio State played its regular season finale next Thursday, Oct. 27, when it hosts Iowa at 3:30 p.m. The game will be carried live on BTN. The Buckeyes will also honor their senior class prior to the game.
