Ohio State Defeats Saint Louis, 3-2, in Thrilling, Two-Overtime Match – Ohio State Buckeyes
9/2/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
COLUMBUS, Ohio Preseason All-American and national player of the year candidate Lara Dickenmann scored the winning goal with 6:20 to go in the second overtime to lead Ohio State to a 3-2 win over St. Louis Sunday evening at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.
Senior Carla Arbulu, voted the team’s player of the game, fired a shot from the left side of the goal that was blocked and landed near the feet of Dickenmann. The senior, positioned about 18 yards directly in front of the goal, calmly tapped the ball with her left foot and then blasted home the game-winner with her right.
“We were telling Lara that she needed to get into a higher position [closer to the goal] because she is such a threat,” Lori Walker, Ohio State coach, said. “We had her staying back on Friday (a win over Butler) but we finally got her into that higher position and she is hard to stop in the box. It is fitting that she is the player to get the game-winning goal.”
Dickenmann, who has been named to the watch list for the Hermann Trophy, the most prestigious individual award in collegiate soccer, and to “MLS Magazine’s” preseason All-America team, is now tied for fifth at Ohio State with 24 career goals and she is third with 75 points.
Arbula got the assist on the goal and it capped an outstanding weekend of soccer by the forward/back. After registering two assists Friday in the 3-0 win over Butler, Arbulu put the Buckeyes out in front against St. Louis by scoring from 25 yards out at the 6:21 mark. Senior tri-captain Amanda Ball assisted on the play for her first career point.
A flurry of activity over a 10-minute span midway through the second half had the crowd of 679 buzzing. St. Louis, a team that has averaged nearly 15 wins over the last five years and has advanced to the second round of the last two NCAA tournaments, tied the score at one when Lauren Bozesky scored on a free kick blast from 35 yards out that just cleared the reach of Ohio State goalkeeper Lauren Robertson.
The Buckeyes retaliated one minute later as freshman Alex Burzynski scored from in front of the goal off assists from freshman Emily Esbrook and sophomore Ashley Bowyer.
St. Louis kept attacking, though. Just six minutes after Ohio State took a 2-1 lead, Ohio State was called for a foul in the box, resulting in a Billikin penalty kick. Cassi Winchell drilled home the penalty kick to tie the score once again.
The score stayed that way the rest of the game and through the first overtime. The stage was then set for Arbulu, Dickenmann and company to earn the team’s second win of the weekend to improve to 2-0 on the year while St. Louis drops to 0-2.
The win snapped a stretch of three-straight overtime losses for Ohio State and four out of the last five dating back to the 2005 season, with one tie.
“We haven’t had good luck in overtime of late, but I credit this win to leadership and maturity,” Walker said.
The Buckeyes return to action Tuesday evening (Sept. 4) with a 7:30 p.m. game against Wright State. OSU is in the midst of six-straight home games in 13 days to open the season.
Game News, Notes and Good Stuff…
- Carla Arbulu had a goal and three assists in the two wins over Butler and St. Louis for a total of five points.
- Arbulu has moved into a tie for eighth-place at Ohio State with 13 career assists.
- Freshmen accounted for nine points on the weekend with Emily Esbrook recording two assists, Courtney Jenkins and Genna Brand scoring goals and Ali Whitehurst getting an assist.
- “Taz” Robertson celebrated her birthday in style by shutting out Butler for her 11th career win and sixth shutout
- Ohio State is now 12-5-1 vs. teams from the Atlantic 10 Conference.
- Ohio State, in its 15th season with a women’s soccer program, is nearing 150 all-time wins. The team has 147 entering Tuesday’s home match against Wright State.
- Friday night’s win over Butler was the team’s 50th at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. The team is 51-22-7 alltime at the stadium.
- Ohio State is on an impressive roll at Jesse Owens, with a record of 32-7-5 at home over the last four years.
- This is the third-consecutive season that Ohio State has started off 2-0.
- Head coach Lori Walker will be a guest at Coach Jim Tressel’s Tuesday football luncheon to talk about her team, the upcoming home schedule and her preparation to announce nine women’s World Cup soccer matches.
Final
Ohio State 3, St. Louis 2, 2OT
Date: Sept. 2, 2007 Attendance: 679
Weather: 85 degrees and blue skies at the start.
Goals by period 1 2 OT O2 Tot
————————————-
St. Louis……….. 0 2 0 0 – 2
Ohio State………. 1 1 0 1 – 3
SCORING SUMMARY:
1. 6:21 OSU Arbulu, Carla (1) (Ball, Amanda) – Drive from the left side, 25 yards out
2. 63:32 SLU-W BOZESKY, Lauren (1) (unassisted) – Set piece outside of the 18 yard box.
3. 64:07 OSU Burzynski, Alex (1) (Esbrook, Emily;Bowyer, Ashley) – Shot from in front of the goal, about 10 yards out.
4. 70:20 SLU-W WINCHELL, Cassi (1) Penalty kick
5. 103:40 OSU Dickenmann, Lara (1) (Arbulu, Carla) – Tipped the ball with left foot and blasted a drive from 18 yards.
Shots: St. Louis 17, Ohio State 18
Saves: St. Louis 4 (KOESTERER, Hannah 4), Ohio State 8 (Robertson, Lauren 8)
Records: Ohio State 2-0-0. St. Louis 0-2-0.
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