Berta Queralt back for Ohio State field hockey after Euro trip

After representing her native Spain in the 2012 Volvo EuroHockey Championships field hockey tournament, Ohio State’s Berta Queralt has reunited with her teammates and making an immediate impact.

The senior forward missed the first four games of the Buckeyes’ season playing with Spain’s under-21 women’s field hockey team from Aug. 26 to Sept. 1 in the Netherlands. Queralt competed against teams like the Netherlands, England, Germany, Belgium, France, Poland and Belarus, and helped lead Spain to a second-place finish in the championships.

Queralt said she learned a lot while playing with her national team.

“I learned a lot (about) finishing and keeping the ball on a pace ... playing internationally — that’s a big thing,” Queralt said. “Not keeping the ball to myself, a lot of passes up and down, not having your eyes only on the ball.”

While Queralt was away in Europe, her teammates compiled a 2-2 record. Queralt said she has enjoyed her return to Columbus.

“It feels good to be back. It’s my fourth year, so it’s really like home,” Queralt said. “It’s nice to be back and feel like everything is normal.”

OSU coach Anne Wilkinson said she has already seen improvements after Queralt’s stint in Europe.

“She is playing at a lot faster tempo, her fitness is really good and she has a great touch on the ball,” Wilkinson said. “So I think that’s something we can use to our benefit.”

That benefit was seen and felt immediately.

In her first game back on Sept. 9 , Queralt scored the team’s lone goal in a 2-1 loss against Miami (Ohio). Queralt’s shot — one of seven she fired in the game — snuck past a crowd of RedHawks before going in. In her second game back at Ohio University on Sept. 12 that eventually went into double-overtime and a penalty shootout, Queralt scored her penalty shot to help OSU to a 1-0 win.

Junior back Nora Murer said she recognized Queralt’s influence on the team.

“She is good at scoring goals and she is also a very important part of our team because she’s a good leader,” Murer said. “I think she makes other people confident and sets them up in a great way so they can score goals.”

OSU starts a four-game home stand against Kent State Wednesday at 3:30 p.m.