Ohio State Edged by Rutgers in Big Ten Tournament, 2-1

Thursday, November 7

College Park, Md.

11:00 AM

Ohio State

(14-5)

Rutgers

(8-8)

Ohio State

Rutgers

Ohio State Edged by Rutgers in Big Ten Tournament, 2-1

11/7/2024 12:57:00 PM | Field Hockey

Box Score

Buckeyes will await NCAA Tournament fate Sunday night

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Fifth-seeded Ohio State dropped a hard-fought 2-1 decision to fourth-seeded Rutgers on Thursday afternoon in the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament on the campus of the University of Maryland. The Buckeyes fall to 15-4 and will await word on their NCAA Tournament fate on Sunday night.

The Short Story
Rutgers was able to put together goals in the second and third quarters, and despite a late offensive push by Ohio State, the Buckeyes never found the back of the cage for the equalizing goal. Makenna Webster scored her team-leading 16th goal of the season early in the third quarter for Ohio State.

Rutgers advances to tomorrow's semifinal round where it will take on top-seeded and top-ranked Northwestern (18-0, 8-0) at 1 p.m.

How It Happened

The first quarter was defensive-minded, as the Buckeyes successfully defended two Rutgers penalty corners towards the end of the quarter to maintain a scoreless tie. Senior goalkeeper Abby Danson was credited with two saves.
Rutgers' Kara Heck gave the Scarlet Knights a 1-0 lead with less than five minutes remaining in the first half when he created an offensive opportunity in transition off a pass from Sophie Kuiper.
Early in the third quarter, Heck doubled the Rutgers lead when she found the back of the cage for the eighth time this season. Her goal came thanks to a feed from Guillermina Causarano.
Less than a minute after Rutgers took its 2-0 lead, the Buckeyes got a goal back thanks to a combination of Sarah Richards and Makenna Webster. Webster was in position in front of the goal to tap in a penalty corner shot by Richards in the 34th minute to make the score 2-1 in favor of the Scarlet Knights.

Statistically Speaking
Shots: Rutgers 12, Ohio State 9
Shots on Goal: Rutgers 7, Ohio State 4
Penalty Corners: Ohio State 5, Rutgers 2
Saves: Ohio State (Danson) 5, Rutgers (Howard) 2
Scoring Summary: RU - 25:25 2nd Qtr. – Heck (Kuiper); RU – 33:04 3rd Qtr. – Heck (Causarano); OSU – 33:44 – 3rd Qtr. – Webster (Richards)

What's Next
The NCAA Tournament selection show will air on Sunday night at 10 p.m. ET on NCAA.com. The Buckeyes' resume includes seven wins against teams that are currently ranked in the NFHCA poll and an RPI ranking of No. 12 when the day started.