Soccer, field hockey and volleyball struggle over the weekend

Women’s soccer had a rough road trip over the weekend. First, the team’s Friday night match against No. 19 Wisconsin was delayed due to lightning. Then, the Buckeyes fell 1-0 to Minnesota in stormy conditions in Minneapolis. In all, Ohio State was outshot 24-5 by the Gophers. With the loss, Ohio State fell to 3-6-1 overall, and 1-2 in conference play. Still, the Buckeyes look to bounce back when they return to Columbus to face Maryland Thursday.

Also on the road, men’s soccer couldn’t quite pull out a victory Saturday when the squad traveled to Evanston to take on Northwestern, eventually ending with a scoreless tie. Initially scheduled for Friday night, the men’s team encountered much of the same, stormy weather the women faced, and the match against the Wildcats was postponed to Saturday. With the tie, Ohio State moves to 5-3-1 overall and 0-1-1 on the season, but the men will have a crack at their first conference win when they take on Michigan in Columbus Wednesday night.

Field hockey, meanwhile, faced the toughest battle of its young season, as the 14th-ranked Buckeyes fell to No. 8 Iowa 2-1 in Iowa City Friday, but Ohio State immediately bounced back with an impressive, 6-1 win over Indiana Sunday in Bloomington. The win over the Hoosiers was the first conference win for the Buckeyes on the season, as Ohio State improved to 5-4 overall and 1-2 in the Big Ten. Freshman Mackenzie Allessie once again proved why she was one of the top recruits in the nation this past year, scoring two goals against the Hoosiers, while sophomore Jessica Hourihane added two of her own. The level of competition will not diminish for the Buckeyes. After a non-conference matchup against Ohio in Athens scheduled for next Sunday, the Buckeyes return home to face ranked Michigan, Stanford, Rutgers and Maryland squads.

After opening conference play with a 3-1 win over Maryland, Ohio State women’s volleyball fell in straight sets against Michigan in Ann Arbor Sunday. With the loss, the Buckeyes fall to 8-6 on the season, including 1-1 in conference play. There were some bright spots for the Buckeyes as younger players are growing into their roles as conference play continues. Freshman Gaby Gonzales led the team with 11 kills in the match, while sophomore Adria Powell had eight of her own. The Buckeyes have a chance to bounce back later this week when Michigan State comes to Columbus Friday.

But it wasn’t all bad news on the weekend…

And it wasn’t just football taking home the big wins. Ninth-ranked women’s hockey kicked off its season with a 2-0 sweep of St. Lawrence. In the first matchup, held Friday night in Columbus, Ohio State rolled 4-1, led by junior forward Liz Schepers’ two goals. In the second game, Saturday in Columbus, the Buckeyes earned a hardfought, 3-2 comeback win on scores from three different players. Next up, Ohio State has a two-game series against St. Cloud State, scheduled for Friday and Saturday in Minnesota.

Off the ice, Ohio State fencing had a solid start to its season. Competing at the OSU Open in Columbus, 13 Buckeyes took home medals over the weekend. In fact, Ohio State earned gold in women’s sabre, epee and foil, and silver in men’s sabre and epee. A third-place finish in men’s foil ensured at least one Buckeye placed in every event at the open. The Buckeyes have some time off before their next event, scheduled for Nov. 16 at the Elite Invitational in Philadelphia.

On the trail, cross country had a strong weekend as well, with the women’s squad finishing third in the Buckeye Preview, hosted at the Ohio State Golf Club. This weekend marked the first time the Buckeyes hosted a meet in more than a decade. Senior Lainey Studebaker was the top finisher for Ohio State, coming in at second with a personal record of 20:33.2. The men, meanwhile, took home a fourth-place finish, with senior Aaron Wood ending the race in sixth place with a personal record of 24.54.4.

Both men’s and women’s golf are working through their fall slates, with the women travelling to Chicago ahead of the Windy City Collegiate hosted at the Glen View Club. The men, meanwhile, are wrapping up a trip out west, where they took on an elite field at the Nike Collegiate Invitational in North Plains, Oregon.

Buckeyes prepping for the pros

It might be the offseason for some sports, but athletes from baseball, women’s tennis and pistol are still competing. Last week, baseball held its annual pro scout day for about 40 scouts from Major League Baseball. Women’s tennis, meanwhile, competed in the USTA Fall Ranked Spotlight in Orlando over the weekend. Finally, freshman Katelyn Abeln of the pistol team is preparing to travel to Fort Benning, Georgia, ahead of the 2019 Rifle-Pistol Fall Selection as a first step in qualifying for the 2020 Olympics.