Ohio State
Rutgers
No. 7 Ohio State to Open Big Ten Tournament Against Rutgers
11/6/2024 6:58:00 AM | Field Hockey
Buckeyes look to set a date against No. 1 Northwestern on Friday
COLUMBUS, Ohio – After a 7-1 win in the regular season finale on Sunday, the seventh-ranked and fifth-seeded Buckeyes (14-4, 4-4) begin postseason play on Thursday, where they'll tangle with fifth-seeded Rutgers (7-8, 4-4) in the quarterfinal round of the Big Ten Tournament in College Park, Md. Information on live stats, the tournament bracket and how to stream can be found on the schedule page of OhioStateBuckeyes.com.
The Basics
Ohio State vs. Rutgers // Thursday, Nov. 7 // 11 a.m. EST // Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex // College Park, Md.
Watch: BTN // Live Stats // Ohio State Roster // Rutgers Roster // Ohio State Schedule
Briefly on the Buckeyes
- Ohio State is coming off a 7-1 senior day win over Central Michigan on Sunday, giving them 14 wins for the regular season. That's the most since 2010, where the Buckeyes reached the NCAA semifinals.
- The Buckeyes are 4-4 so far in Big Ten play, with wins over Indiana, Penn State, Maryland and Michigan State. The Buckeyes combined to score 12 goals in those games.
- The Ohio State defense has only allowed multiple goals in four out of 18 games this year. Ohio State has only allowed 18 goals by its opponents this season.
- With 55 goals on the year, the 2024 Ohio State offense sits tied for 11th in program history for total goals scored. There are only 11 teams in the nation with more than 50 goals heading into the postseason.
Scouting the Scarlet Knights
- Rutgers checks in at 4-4 in the Big Ten and 7-8 overall heading into the tournament. Six of the Scarlet Knights' losses have been decided by only one goal.
- The last time the teams met was on October 20, where Rutgers topped Ohio State 1-0 in Piscataway. The Scarlet Knights hold a 9-6 advantage in wins all-time.
- Besides its win against Ohio State, Rutgers holds conference wins over Penn State, Michigan State and Iowa.
- Thursday's match will be the second time the Buckeyes and Scarlet Knights have met in the Big Ten Tournament. The last time was in 2018, where Ohio State topped Rutgers in the quarterfinals in a double-overtime thriller, 1-0.
- Three Scarlet Knights are in double figures for points: Guillermina Causarano (23), Paulina Niklaus (17) and Kara Heck (10). The trio account for 62 percent of Rutgers' goals this season.
- Junior back Puck Winter, last year's Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, has started in all 15 games this season for Rutgers and totals five defensive saves so far. The Deventer, Netherlands native also has one goal on 11 shots this year.
- The teams' last meeting was one out of four matches this year the Buckeyes have been out-shot by their opponents. Ohio State still holds a 276-164 advantage in shots this year.
More on the Big Ten Tournament
- This is the third consecutive year Ohio State has made the conference tournament. Last year, the Buckeyes reached the semifinals, but fell to top-seeded Northwestern, 3-1.
- Ohio State's match on Thursday is the first of three quarterfinal games: the other side of the bracket features No. 2 Maryland facing No. 7 Iowa at 2 p.m. and No. 3 Michigan facing No. 6 Indiana at 5 p.m.
- A win on Thursday would pit the Buckeyes against regular season champion Northwestern (17-0) in the tournament semifinals on Friday. The Wildcats bested the Buckeyes last week in Evanston by a 2-1 final.
- Ohio State has made the conference championship game four times in program history, with its sole championship coming in 2001, where the Buckeyes defeated Iowa, 2-1.
- Ohio State is 9-18 against higher-seeded teams in the tournament all-time.
Ohio State's record when…
At home: 9-1
On the road: 5-3
In overtime: 2-0
Outshooting its opponents: 12-1
Out-cornering its opponents: 10-2
Against ranked opponents: 6-3
Against unranked opponents: 8-1
Scoring the first goal: 9-0
When opponent scores first goal: 5-4
On Friday: 7-1
On Sunday: 7-3
Numbers to Know
102: Graduate forward Makenna Webster notched her 100th career point in the win over Central Michigan on Sunday and checks in at 10th in Ohio State history with 102 total. Webster has 15 goals and 10 assists so far this year.
4: Ohio State has top-10 national rankings in four offensive stat categories: goals per game (ninth, 3.06), points per game (10th, 8.22), scoring average (eighth, 3.00) and scoring margin (2.02).
63: Veteran goalkeeper Abby Danson totals 63 saves in 2024, just three behind last year's sum of 66. Danson checks in at eighth place in Ohio State history for saves with 283.
149: With 55 goals and 39 assists on the year, the scarlet and gray offense totals 149 points heading into the postseason. If the season were to end right now, the 2024 squad would be only two points behind breaking into Ohio State's top-10 in program history for team points.
