Sophomore forward Peanut Johnson (3) advances the ball during a match against Louisville Oct. 1 at Buckeye Varsity Field. OSU lost, 6-3.
Credit: Shelby Lum / Photo editor
In a return to Buckeye Varsity Field from a five-game road trip, the Ohio State field hockey team fell to No. 17 Louisville, 6-3.
Sophomore forward Peanut Johnson provided all the goals for the Buckeyes (3-7) against the Cardinals (8-2) as she tallied her second hat trick of the season.
The Cardinals scored first, but Johnson was able to answer three minutes later. Louisville then went up by two but Johnson received an assist from midfield by sophomore back Emma Royce with a few minutes left in the half.
OSU wasted no time once the second half began as Johnson hit the back of the cage again for her third goal to tie the game, but Louisville scored three straight times to close out the victory.
Johnson said she was able to finish all three goals because of the teamwork throughout the game.
“It was a whole team effort,” Johnson said. “I was just the last one to touch it.”
Coach Anne Wilkinson complimented Johnson’s ability to fight for the ball and said she sees her as one of the key players for her team.
“She really played so well just putting away the ball, scoring, but also hustling on both sides of the ball,” Wilkinson said.
Wilkinson said there were holes in her defense that needed to be fixed but saw junior midfielder Kaitlyn Wagner as a defensive player that stood out during the game.
“Kaitlyn Wagner did a nice job flying … stepping up and coming out on the first shot (against penalty corners), but we did not do a great job on their second shot and third shot,” Wilkinson said.
She said the defense cannot allow their opponent to have so many opportunities at the goal without stopping them on their first shot.
“We just need to be a lot smarter on the corners,” Wilkinson said. “We cannot give up 12 corners. We have got to be able to move our feet and I thought Louisville did a great job finding the fouls.”
Johnson said defensively, the team did not do as well as it could have. She said there were moments in the game the Buckeyes could have done more to stop Louisville from pulling ahead.
“We just broke down a little at crucial points and Louisville is good enough to capitalize on that,” Johnson said.
The Buckeyes are set to play Ohio University Sunday. This match is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Buckeye Varsity Field.
