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DURHAM, N.C. – The No. 23 Ohio State women’s soccer team dropped its 2018 opener at No. 3 Duke, 2-0, Thursday night at Koskinen Stadium. After a scoreless first half, the Blue Devils scored less than three minutes into the second half and added another late goal to come away with the season-opening victory.
QUOTE FROM THE COACH
“I think we did some really nice things defensively in the first half and clearly frustrated Duke and what they were attempting to do,” Lori Walker-Hock, Ohio State head coach, said. “We were asking players who have not played in specific positions to move and play in some new roles and I think they stepped up and did a really nice job. We aren’t happy with the results but we’ll learn a lot from this. We need to play faster and stay connected. As a team, we’ll take this experience and move forward.”
MATCH SUMMARY
– Ohio State goalkeeper Devon Kerr came up with a pair of early saves on Duke’s Marykate McGuire, one was a diving deflection on a low strike toward the near post from 10 yards on the right wing.
– The Buckeyes’ best chance of the first half came when substitute Kayla Fischer made a slaloming 1v4 run down the middle of the Duke defense to draw a foul and a yellow card just outside the box. However, Arden Holden’s free kick from 20 yards narrowly drifted over the crossbar.
– Duke scored just over two minutes into the second half when Mackenzie Pluck dribbled into the box and curled a left-footed shot just inside the left post from the top of the 18-yard box.
– Ohio State had another chance three minutes later when Marissa Birzon ripped a low strike from 20 yards that forced a diving save from Duke goalkeeper Brooke Heinsohn.
– After another fantastic save by Kerr on a shot by Lily Nabet in the 68th minute, the Blue Devils added to their lead in the 81st minute when a partially blocked shot by Ella Stevens was tapped home by Taylor Racioppi for the 2-0 advantage.
– Fischer created another chance in the 85th minute when she tracked down a long ball from midfield but Heinsohn was able to come out from goal and deflect the shot from 12 yards wide before it was cleared away.
MATCH NOTES
– Freshmen Emaly Vatne earned the start for the Buckeyes while Fischer, another freshman, also saw her first collegiate action off the bench.
– Junior Alyssa Baumbick and sophomores Marissa Birzon and Maggie Samanich also made their first starts in a Buckeye uniform.
UP NEXT
The Buckeyes will look to rebound at No. 6 North Carolina at 4 p.m. Sunday.
Match: No. 23 Ohio State at No. 3 Duke
Date: Aug. 16, 2018
Venue: Koskinen Stadium – Durham, N.C.
Kickoff: 7 p.m. ET
Attendance: 504
Weather: Clear, humid and 86 degrees
Scoring Summary 1 2 F
DUKE 0 2 2
OSU 0 0 0
