 "Photo: David Heasley")
The No. 9 Ohio State field hockey team (13-3, 3-1 Big Ten) split their final two home games of the regular season, rebounding from a 2-1 double overtime loss against No. 7 Indiana (13-1, 4-0 Big Ten) Friday with a 6-1 win on Senior Day against Central Michigan (6-9, 3-3 Mid-American Conference) Sunday at the North Turf Field.
The Buckeye's weekend got off to a rough start Friday with a loss at home to Indiana. It was their first home loss since the season opener against Maryland.
Indiana junior back Morgan Miller scored the game-winning goal off a penalty corner 11 minutes into the second overtime, ending the Buckeyes 11-game winning streak.
"Indiana is a solid team," coach Anne Wilkinson said. "That's why they're No. 7."
Goals were hard to come by all game, and it was scoreless at the half.
OSU struck first on a goal by junior forward Lauren Kruse 5:53 into the second half. Kruse recovered a loose ball on the left side of the goal and scored into the right corner. It was the seventh goal of the year for Kruse.
Indiana sophomore forward Frederique Meeuwsen tied the game with 19 minutes left, tapping in a shot off a blocked penalty corner. It appeared that the ball hit Meeuwsen's foot before going into the goal, which would nullify it, but the officials ruled it a goal after a short discussion.
Forced to play the final minutes of regulation shorthanded after senior forward Lucy Clayton received a yellow card, the Buckeyes took the game into overtime with the help of two late saves from senior goalie Lindsay Williams.
Williams made a diving save with three minutes to go and a kick save with 40 seconds left, pushing the ball just outside the right side of the goal.
The Buckeyes dominated the first overtime, taking seven shots and preventing the Hoosiers from taking a single shot. Indiana sophomore goalie Haley Exner kept the Buckeyes off the board recording five saves in the overtime. For the game, Exner had 16 saves.
"Their goalkeeper kept them in the game," Wilkinson said. "She played great today."
The first shot the Hoosiers took in the second overtime ended the game when Miller scored into the upper right corner of the goal. The Buckeyes outshot Indiana 27-7 in the game and had seven more penalty corners than the Hoosiers, but couldn't convert the scoring chances into goals.
"They were able to capitalize on opportunities," Kruse said. "We had numerous opportunities and couldn't."
The Buckeyes struggled the entire game with penalty corners. OSU was unable to score on any of its 14 penalty corners and failed to get a shot off on several of them.
"We just kept trying and trying, and they weren't coming together today," Kruse said. "We had numerous corners in regulation and OT and just couldn't convert."
The Buckeyes refused to let the loss against Indiana carry over into their game against Central Michigan. Clayton had a career-high four goals to lead the Buckeyes' offensive attack, and junior midfielder Saskia Mueller and sophomore forward Yesenia Luces each had three assists.
Luces scored the first goal for the Buckeyes about a minute into the game, putting in a loose ball in front of the goal. Clayton scored off a penalty corner 8:53 in to give OSU a 2-0 lead.
Sophomore forward Allyson Doan scored the Chippewas' only goal of the game off a penalty corner 25 minutes into the first half, but Clayton answered for the Buckeyes to give OSU a 3-1 lead at the half.
Luces dribbled between two Central Michigan defenders and passed to Kruse in the corner. Kruse found Clayton in front of the goal for the score.
"That felt amazing," Clayton said. "Once I got two I knew I was going to get a hat trick. That's my thing. If I get two I have to get the hat trick."
The second half was all OSU. Clayton scored two more goals off penalty corners, and senior midfielder Katelin Condon scored her first goal of season.
"Senior Day was great," Condon said. "It was the best ever."
The Buckeyes outshot the Chippewas 24-7 and attempted 12 penalty corners to Central Michigan's four. OSU finished the season 6-0 against the MAC conference.
A victory in the final regular season home game was the perfect way for the Buckeyes to celebrate Senior Day.
"It's the day we've been waiting for for four years, and we won," Condon said. "We went out with a bang."
The Buckeyes will not be able to celebrate too long as they return to action with an important conference match-up against No. 6 Penn State Saturday in State College, Pa.
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