A successful spring and a tough out-of-conference schedule has the No. 17 Ohio State field hockey team primed for the start of the Big Ten season.
After winning their first Mercian Cup Spring League title in April, the Buckeyes have brought that momentum into the new season and are riding a four-game winning streak.
The opening schedule has been tough, as the Buckeyes have faced two 2004 NCAA championship semifinalists - No. 2 Maryland and the national runner-up, No. 4 Duke. OSU will play a total of six teams that competed in last year's NCAA championship, including a conference matchup with No. 6 Michigan State, another NCAA semifinalist.
The Buckeyes opened the season with a 2-1 loss against Maryland Aug. 29 and fell to Duke 3-1 Sept. 4 in the Blue Hen Classic in Newark, Del. Junior midfielder Curlyne Wynn scored the Buckeyes' only goal of the Maryland game, while junior Yesenia Luces scored against Duke.
Team captain Jessica Gofgosky said the Atlantic Coast Conference, which Maryland and Duke are members of, is always a tough conference.
"Playing against them is an awesome way to start out the season," Gofgosky said.
The tough schedule is nothing new to the Buckeyes.
"We wanted to play the best to see where we stood," coach Anne Wilkinson said.
Between the two games, OSU defeated Richmond at the Blue Hen Classic. Since the Duke loss, the Buckeyes have won four in a row, all at home.
The Buckeyes outscored Albany 4-1 for their first win. Senior forward Lucy Clayton and freshman midfielder Linda Haussener each scored a goal, and junior back Saskia Mueller scored twice. Luces added two assists.
Mueller and Luces have been two of the most productive players for the Buckeyes this season. Mueller has three assists and is tied for the team lead with five goals. Luces has four goals and leads the team with five assists.
In the most dominating performance of the season, the Buckeyes defeated Maine 6-0 Sept. 11. Luces and freshman forward Emily Mikac each scored a goal, and junior forward Lauren Kruse and Mueller each scored twice.
The Buckeyes biggest win of the season came Sept. 14 when OSU ended No. 14 Louisville's five-game winning streak with a 4-3 win in overtime. The Buckeyes rallied from a 3-1 deficit with less than 20 minutes to go in the game.
"We had to dig deep and show our true colors," Gofgosky said.
Luces scored the game-tying goal, and Clayton scored three goals, including the game-winner in overtime. She was named the Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week for the effort.
The win over Louisville gives the Buckeyes momentum entering Big Ten play.
"It's setting the tone for the season," Wynn said.
The Buckeyes kept their winning streak alive with a 2-0 victory over Missouri State Saturday. Mueller and Luces each scored a goal, and senior goaltender Lindsay Williams was forced to make only one save. In 2004, Williams led the Big Ten in total saves with 146 and an average of 7.3 saves per game. This season, Williams has recorded 25 saves and is averaging 3.57 saves per game with a goals-against average of 1.43.
On the whole, Wilkinson welcomes back an experienced team. Four seniors and 10 juniors, including seven starters, are back from last year's team.
"We have a lot of different leaders on this team," Wilkinson said.
The Buckeyes take their winning streak on the road to play Ball State today before returning home to open the Big Ten season this Friday against No. 8 Michigan at 4 p.m. Friday at the North Turf Field. The Buckeyes are in action again Sunday when they take on No. 10 Iowa at 1 p.m.
The tough schedule continues for the Buckeyes throughout the season with games against Michigan State, No. 7 Penn State, and No. 12 Indiana.
"It's going to be exciting," Wilkinson said.
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