No. 11 Ohio State Knocks Off No. 1 Iowa On The Road, 2-1

Friday, September 29

Grant Field • Iowa City, Iowa

4:00 PM

Ohio State

(10-2, 3-1)

Iowa

(9-1, 1-1)

Ohio State

Iowa

No. 11 Ohio State Knocks Off No. 1 Iowa On The Road, 2-1

9/29/2023 5:53:00 PM | General, Field Hockey

Box Score Final Stats (PDF)Highlights

Makenna Webster and Brenna Bough score as the Buckeyes improve to 10-2

COLUMBUS, Ohio – In a season that's been full of big wins thus far for Ohio State, the Buckeyes got the biggest one of all on Friday afternoon. The Buckeyes took down undefeated and top-ranked Iowa, 2-1, at Grant Field in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes were one of just two undefeated teams remaining in the country.

The Buckeyes, who picked up their first win over a No. 1-ranked team, improved to 10-2 on the season and 3-1 in Big Ten play. Iowa in 9-1 and 1-1 in the Big Ten.

The Short Story
Ohio State pulled off the upset on Friday thanks to a defensive effort that limited a high-powered Iowa offense to just one shot on goal. On the other end of the field, the Buckeyes were opportunistic, scoring at the end of the first half and then again midway through the third quarter. Freshman Brenna Bough was credited with the game-winning tally.

Meanwhile, goalie Abby Danson did not make a save as the defense in front of her was up to the task. Iowa came into the game averaging well over four goals per game and had been held to less than three goals just twice. The Hawkeyes generated just eight total shots, one on goal and three penalty corners.

How The Goals Were Scored

The Ohio State defense did its job over the first 30 minutes and held the nation's No. 1 offense to just two total shots. Meanwhile, Makenna Webster scored her 14th goal of the season as time expired in the second quarter on a penalty corner.
The goal, which was assisted by Sarah Richards and Anne Marie Krebs, came on a penalty corner that was called with four seconds remaining in the second quarter.
Iowa was able to tie the game midway through the third quarter on Dionne van Aalsum's 22nd goal of the season. The score was assisted and set up by Lieve Schalk.
Brenna Bough put Ohio State back on top in the third quarter with her seventh score of the season and she tapped the ball in off a penalty corner.

Buckeye This and That

Ohio State and Iowa entered the game on Friday with two of the nation's five best statistical offenses. Iowa leads the country with a 4.56 goals-per-game average while Ohio State is fourth at 3.64.
The game was also a match-up of the Big Ten's two top scorers: Iowa's Dionne van Aalsum, who leads the country with 21 goals through nine games, and Makenna Webster, who has 13 goals and 32 points in 11 games.
Webster also entered the day as one of just two players in the conference who ranks in the top five in both goals (second) and assists (third).
Friday's game was Ohio State's fourth this season against a ranked opponent. The Buckeyes previously faced No. 5 Louisville, No. 8 Michigan and No. 3 Northwestern. They are scheduled to play at least three more ranked teams in the regular season – No. 16 Penn State, No. 6 Rutgers and No. 8 Maryland.
Going into Friday's game, Iowa had allowed just one goal in the last seven games combined. The Buckeyes were also the first team to finish with more shots than the Hawkeyes so far this season.
Ohio State's highest regular season win over a ranked opponent prior to Friday came on Oct. 5, 2014 when the Buckeyes knocked off No. 3 Virginia in overtime, 4-3. The Buckeyes also defeated third-ranked Northwestern in the semifinals on the 2021 (spring) Big Ten Tournament, which ironically was played at Iowa's Grant Field.

What's Next
Ohio State's Big Ten road swing continues Sunday as it faces Indiana in Bloomington beginning at noon. The game will stream on B1G+ and live stats are available on the schedule page of OhioStateBuckeyes.com. The Hoosiers, who entered the day with a 4-5 overall record, hosted No. 15 Michigan this afternoon.