Ohio State women’s soccer finishes up the road portion of the regular season this weekend with two matches in the “state up north,” Friday against Michigan at 7 p.m. and Sunday versus Michigan State at 12 p.m.
The Buckeyes are looking for a boost offensively after dropping two conference games at home last weekend, which led coach Lori Walker to say the Buckeyes’ attack is “in the crapper.”
OSU has scored one goal or less in four of its last five games, with a record of 1-4-0 in that time. The team is currently on a three-game losing streak.
Walker said the key to turning the offense around is focusing on finishing goals during practice.
“(We) have got to score goals in practice,” she said. “If we score goals in practice then it might happen in games. But until we’re scoring some goals that have some significance in training on a consistent basis, from the right people, it’s going to be a pretty tough ride for us.”
Some potential formation and personnel changes are being considered, Walker said.
“If we can’t get the right people doing it then we’re going to start moving people around and see if we can find the answer,” she said.
Following a 3-2 loss to Nebraska on Oct. 16, Walker matter-of-factly said the team’s goal is “to win a game so that we qualify for the Big Ten tournament.”
After a two year hiatus, the Big Ten women’s soccer tournament is back. In 2010, the conference title was shared when the Buckeyes and Penn State both ended the regular season at 8-2-0. With the regular season conference title out of reach in 2011, OSU will turn its attention towards a Big Ten tournament berth.
The top eight teams qualify for the tournament, hosted by Northwestern Nov. 2-6, with the winner receiving an automatic bid to the national tournament. OSU currently stands at 3-4-1 in conference play and is tied with Purdue for the eighth and final spot.
The Buckeyes have their work cut out for them, as Michigan State (12-4-0, 5-3) and Michigan (9-5-2, 4-3-1) are third and fourth in the Big Ten, respectively.
After this weekend’s games, OSU will finish its season at home Oct. 30 against Indiana at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.
