The Ohio State field hockey team received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament Tuesday.
It is only the fifth time in program history that the Buckeyes have been selected to the tournament.
Coach Anne Wilkinson said the team is honored and excited to represent Ohio State and the Big Ten. This is the fourth time Wilkinson has led the Buckeyes to the tournament in her 14 years at Ohio State.
At the beginning of the season, senior goalkeeper Lindsay Quintiliani said the team goals were “winning the Big Ten and then making it to the Final Four.”
The Buckeyes came up short of a Big Ten title, finishing second in the conference. But now, being one of just 16 teams in the tournament, the Buckeyes find themselves just two wins away from a Final Four berth.
However, the Buckeyes have a tough road ahead as their first round matchup is against No. 3 seed North Carolina. The Tar Heels’ only two losses this season came against Maryland and Virginia, the No. 1 and No. 2 overall seeds in the NCAA tournament. The Buckeyes will travel to Winston-Salem, N.C. to take on the 16-2 Tar Heels.
OSU has not fared well on the road this season, as five of the team’s six losses have come away from Columbus. The game at Winston-Salem will probably be the Buckeyes’ toughest to date, but the team is confident and led by its four All-Big Ten honorees.
If the Buckeyes defeat North Carolina they will advance to take on the winner of Wake Forest and Indiana in the second round. OSU and Indiana join Michigan Sate as the Big Ten’s three representatives in this year’s tournament.
This year is the Buckeyes’ first trip to the NCAA tournament since 2006, when they won the Big Ten.
OSU’s first-round game starts at 11:30 a.m. Saturday at Winston-Salem, N.C.
