With four shutouts and a save percentage of over 84, junior goalkeeper Abby Danson (75) has emerged as a star in her first season starting for Ohio State. Credit: Zachary Rilley | Photo Editor
Abby Danson is in her first season as the starting goaltender on the Ohio State field hockey team, but to her coaches and teammates, her success was not a shock.
The junior from Clifton Park, New York, is setting career-best numbers across the stat sheet for Ohio State in 2022, including four shutouts and a current saves percentage of over 84 percent.
Head coach Jarred Martin said he recognizes the effort Danson puts in off the field to get to this point.
“People don’t see all that work,” Martin said. “The time she puts in, the energy she puts in. She’s constantly watching video, scouting the opponents, things that they do, tendencies. She’s always trying to get extra reps.”
Danson started the season strong with three straight shutouts, marking the first time any player has done so in a Buckeye uniform.
Her performances put her near the top of statistical rankings among Big Ten field hockey goalkeepers.
Danson leads behind an 0.842 save percentage and is tied for most shutouts with four. She is second in goals allowed per game with only 0.931 and third in saves per game with 4.80.
Danson said many things got her to this point, such as playing for the Los Angeles team in the Senior Nexus Championship over the summer with some of the top current and former collegiate field hockey players in the country.
“I wanted to play against really good competition and get ready to see those types of shots,” Danson said. “A lot of the girls out there are in the Big Ten, so it was nice to see some of their shots and play alongside them for a little bit.”
Associate head coach Kate Lipton is also playing a part in the goaltender’s success. Danson said Lipton takes her and freshman goalie Kelly Davis out to the field early once a week to work on anything they feel is necessary.
The Buckeyes defensive backs believe Danson’s improvements this season have helped them throughout the year, senior back Delaney Lawler said. Lawler said she credits Danson for much of the success the defense is having this season.
“This year, if not every year that we’ve had her and that she’s been in a Buckeye uniform, Abby has consistently been our rock on the field,” Lawler said. “She’s so steady, so persistent with her play and her communication. The biggest thing I’ve seen her change this year is that she is demanding.”
Lawler said her communication is “on another level,” and she expects a lot out of the defense because of the experience they have.
Danson said even with her success, she isn’t satisfied. She said she wants to continue to improve and win as many games as the team can, and Martin said he admires the drive that she has shown during her time at Ohio State.
“Where she is now, she’s not going to settle for anything,” Martin said. “She wants to keep pushing her abilities to be better and better. That’s why she’s had success. I think that’s why the shutouts are coming. I know it’s only going to get better and better.”
