No. 22 Ohio State Upsets No. 7 Penn State, 1-0

Sept. 30, 2017

COLUMBUS, Ohio – In a matchup of two teams atop the Big Ten standings, the No. 22 Ohio State women’s soccer team knocked off No. 7 Penn State, 1-0, Saturday night at Bert L. & Iris S. Wolstein Field at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. With the win, the Buckeyes move to 9-2-1 overall and take over the Big Ten lead with a 4-1-0 conference record, while the Nittany Lions drop to 7-3-1, 3-1-1 in conference play.

“I’m very proud of our entire team tonight,” Lori Walker-Hock, Ohio State head coach, said. “We have been prepared by the non-conference portion of our schedule and it made things a lot easier tonight having already made those necessary in-game adjustments earlier in the season. The atmosphere was fantastic in front of our home crowd and this was a good win for us.”

WALTS JUST OVER CROSSBAR EARLY
In the 10th minute, Eleanor Gabriel possessed on the right wing and laid a pass off to Nikki Walts but the shot from 20 yards by the senior co-captain just missed high over the crossbar.

KERR TO THE RESCUE IN THE 27TH
Penn State’s best chance came in the 27th minute when Megan Schafer tracked down a loose ball just outside the box but Ohio State goalkeeper Devon Kerr was able to come out and make a sliding save on the 1v1 opportunity from eight yards to keep it a scoreless contest heading into the half.

EDWARDS PUTS BUCKEYES ON TOP
Outside of a couple long-range shots from both sides, things stayed quiet until Sammy Edwards gave Ohio State the lead in the 65th minute. Marike Mousset possessed on the right wing, beat a Penn State defender and played a cross to Edwards at the far post where the senior gathered and placed a left-footed strike from eight yards inside the right post for the Buckeye advantage.

ORTEGA-JURADO COMES UP EMPTY
In the 78th minute, Alina Ortega-Jurado possessed at the top of the box and ripped a shot from 18 yards that Kerr was able to deflect wide. Four minutes later, Charlotte Williams laid a pass off to Ortega-Jurado on the left wing but her strike from 15 yards drilled the crossbar and was cleared away.

GABRIEL ALMOST DOUBLES THE LEAD
With less than five minutes remaining, Gabriel gathered on the left side of the box and tried to bend a right-footed shot from 10 yards inside the far post but it hit the outside of the woodwork and carried out of play.

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
Shots: Penn State 12, Ohio State 5
Saves: Ohio State 3, Penn State 1
Shots on Goal: Penn State 3, Ohio State 2
Corner Kicks: Penn State 7, Ohio State 2

BUCKEYE BITS
– Ohio State is 9-0-0 on the year when scoring first after going 10-0-1 when scoring first a year ago.
– Kerr recorded her third-consecutive shutout, sixth of the season and eighth of her career against the Nittany Lions.
– Edwards’ goal was her team-best sixth of the season. The senior is tied for 11th on the Buckeyes’ career goals list with Colleen Hoban, finding the back of the net 23 times. Edwards also has tallied 55 career points, tying her for 13th on the Ohio State career points list with Lindsay Agnew and Becky Borchers.
– The win for the Buckeyes was the first over Penn State since a 1-0 overtime victory Oct. 3, 2010, in Columbus.
– It was the first win for Ohio State over a team ranked in the United Soccer Coaches poll Top 15 since a 1-0 win over No. 14 Virginia Tech in the second round of the NCAA Tournament Nov. 20, 2015.

UP NEXT
Ohio State hosts Michigan State at 5 p.m. Friday and Michigan at noon Sunday. It’ll be Alumni Weekend in Columbus and the match against the Wolverines will be televised live on BTN

Match: No. 7 Penn State at No. 22 Ohio State
Date: Sept. 30, 2017
Venue: Jesse Owens Memorial State – Columbus, Ohio
Kickoff: 6 p.m. ET
Attendance: 862
Weather: Sunny and 64 degrees