Oct. 4, 2013
St. Paul, Minn.
Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium
Ohio State 0 (7-2-3, 1-1-2 Big Ten); Minnesota 0 (8-3-1, 1-2-1 Big Ten)
Attendance: 976
St. PAUL, Minn. – The Ohio State women’s soccer team played to a scoreless draw against Minnesota on a chilly, windy and wet Friday night at Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium. The Buckeyes move to 7-2-3 on the season, 1-1-2 in the Big Ten, while Minnesota stands at 8-3-1, 1-2-1 in conference play.
“I like the chances we are creating and we have the right people in dangerous places,” Ohio State head coach Lori Walker said. “Our technique is failing us time and time again. We need 10,000 hours of finishing and change some bad habits of young players.”
Ohio State had multiple early chances but was unable to convert. The Buckeyes earned a free kick less than two minutes in but Michela Paradiso’s shot from 20 yards sailed into the arms of Minnesota goalkeeper Tarah Hobbs.
In the ninth minute, Nichelle Prince gathered a through ball down the right wing and found a streaking Paradiso at the middle of the box but the shot from 10 yards narrowly missed over the crossbar.
Then, in the 27th minute, the Buckeyes earned their best chance when Kayla Varner made a horizontal run in from the right wing and fired a shot from 25 yards that caromed off the crossbar and was cleared away.
The Buckeyes had another near miss in the 33rd minute when Prince beat a Minnesota defender and fired a shot from the top of the box that sailed just over the crossbar.
The first half ended with Ohio State holding a 10-3 lead in shots, 3-2 on goal.
Ohio State tallied another chance in the 64th minute when Paradiso found Prince with a beautiful through ball but Prince’s shot from 10 yards deflected off the crossbar as the game remained scoreless.
Minnesota had a late chance with under two minutes remaining when Josee Stiever got her head on a corner but Ohio State goalkeeper Jillian McVicker made the diving save to keep the game scoreless and send it into overtime.
Through regulation, Ohio State held a 17-7 lead in shots, 6-4 on goal.
Less than three minutes into the first overtime, Marisa Wolf made a nice run after gathering possession at midfield, played a cross to Prince but her strike from 15 yards went high.
Varner notched an opportunity in the 103rd minute when she controlled at the top of the box and dribbled left but her shot from 15 yards rolled right into the arms of Hobbs.
Neither team mustered anything the rest of the way as the match ended in a scoreless draw.
For the game, Ohio State held a 20-7 advantage in shots, including 7-4 on goal, and a narrow 7-6 edge in corner kicks. McVicker earned her first clean sheet of the season against the Golden Gophers while Prince tallied a team-high six shots.
Ohio State travels to face No. 18 Wisconsin at 12:30 p.m. ET Sunday. The match will be televised live on BTN.
