Senior midfielder Mona Frommhold (8) passes the ball during a match against Louisville Oct. 1 at Buckeye Varsity Field. OSU lost, 6-3.
Credit: Shelby Lum / Photo editor
The Ohio State field hockey team gained a victory against an in-state rival over the weekend.
The team defeated Ohio University at Buckeye Varsity Field 2-1 Sunday.
OSU was the first to put a point on the board Sunday. Sophomore forward Annie VonderBrink found the back of the cage in the 19th minute for her first collegiate goal.
The Bobcats responded quickly to VonderBrink’s goal, tying the game less than two minutes later as OU senior Jessica Jue found the net.
On a penalty corner opportunity, senior midfielder Mona Frommhold marked the second point for the Buckeyes, increasing their lead by one before heading into halftime.
The second half went scoreless on both ends of the field. Junior goalkeeper Sarah Lemieux and the rest of the Buckeye defense were able to hold the lead and take the win.
The movement of the ball and sharp passes were the main focus of the game, Coach Anne Wilkinson said, adding her players were able to find each other and keep the ball moving.
“We try to focus on a certain thing before a game and that was one thing we really needed to change up was just being able to distribute the ball,” Wilkinson said. “We just played really simple. Moving the ball, finding the open player, it was nice to see us using everybody and just making the simple pass, not just going for the big killer ball.”
VonderBrink agreed with Wilkinson and said the team’s passing throughout the game stayed strong and that helped the Buckeyes stay in control of the game.
“It was really great coming out,” VonderBrink said. “We had a lot of movement … our passing worked so well together, just our movement up and down the field.”
Frommhold said passing the ball was key as well. Everyone was able to read OU’s defense and make smart passes as the game went on.
“Today we tried to do the little passes, not the big balls as in the other games, so we changed it up a little bit,” Frommhold said.
Wilkinson said the defense did a great job keeping OU from hitting any more goals in the second half. The team stayed together and played with confidence while attacking the ball.
“We improved a ton in the midfield defending and really being able to anticipate and read the passing angles,” Wilkinson said. “I was really happy with the communication, it was just excellent. Everyone was really well connected with each other.”
Frommhold said the team came together and gained this win as one strong unit.
“Today was a huge team game,” Frommhold said. “We played so well together … it was a huge change from the other games and we just enjoyed the game today.”
The Buckeyes are set to take on Penn State, their second Big Ten opponent of the season, Friday at 3 p.m. in State College, Pa.
