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Ohio State senior midfielder Emma Goldean (8) fights for the ball against a Virginia player in the Buckeye goal zone during the Ohio State-Virginia game on Sept. 19. Ohio State lost 1-2. Credit: Sophia Tobias | For The Lantern

It was a challenging weekend for No. 24 Ohio State field hockey, as the Buckeyes split a pair of games against ranked opponents. 

The Buckeyes opened the weekend with a conference win over No. 25 Michigan State Friday, before falling to No. 11 Virginia in Columbus Sunday.

Michigan State

The Buckeyes (6-2, 1-0 Big Ten) extended their win streak to five games, routing the Spartans (6-1, 0-1 Big Ten) 4-3 in their conference opener

Two late goals provided by junior forward Sarah Charley and freshman midfielder Hallie Brost were enough to power Ohio State through to the victory.

The Spartans took a 1-0 lead in the game’s first two minutes, before the Buckeyes put in back-to-back goals and never gave up the lead from there.

Although Michigan State outshot Ohio State 15-13, the Buckeyes converted on their chances with 11 shots on goal.

Freshman midfielder Cameryn Forgash and senior forward Katie Pyle scored in the first half, while Charley and Brost put the game out of reach with a pair of late goals. The Spartans scored in the final three minutes of the game but were too late to mount a comeback.

“The Big Ten is really good this year. To win against Michigan State on the road is a great start to our conference campaign,” Pyle said.

The Buckeyes’ five-game winning streak was their longest since 2018 when they also won five straight.

This was also the first time the Buckeyes won their Big Ten Conference opener since 2015, also beating Michigan State.

Virginia

The Buckeyes followed up their win by hosting the No. 11 Virginia Cavaliers.

Ohio State’s win streak was short-lived, as Virginia (5-2, 0-1 ACC) defeated the Buckeyes 2-1 Sunday.

Pyle scored her second goal of the weekend at the 2:54 mark in the fourth period, but it was too late to mount a comeback.

“We controlled the game in the second half. After I scored with a couple of minutes left, we knew we had a chance to even it up after all the shots we were taking,” Pyle said. “We were even more motivated after going down two goals.”

Virginia graduate fullback Makayla Gallen scored the first goal early in the second period. The second came early in the final period from freshman forward Taryn Tkachuk to seal the win.

“Virginia is constantly competing for championships, so we try to play at their level, and to face this type of competition will up us going forward into conference play,” Ohio State head coach Jarred Martin said.

Virginia controlled the first half, outshooting the Buckeyes 8-0. The Cavaliers also managed seven penalty corners throughout the half.

“The second half was great. We made adjustments and controlled our offense much better. We have to find a way to not start in a hole,” Martin said.

Ohio State outshot Virginia in the second half 14-4 and tallied 10 shots in the fourth period, as they attempted to come back down 2-0.

“Even before Katie scored, our response to going two goals down was encouraging to see. Putting more pressure in the last minutes of the game is something we have to get going earlier,” Martin said.

The Buckeyes’ loss to Virginia marked the beginning of a five-game homestand.

 Ohio State will host No. 5 Louisville Sept. 27 at 4 p.m. and the game will be streamed on BTN+.