Ohio State women’s soccer team splits a pair of Big Ten road games

Gabriella DiGiovanni
Sun, 27 Sep 2015 21:24:31 +0000
Sports, Women's Soccer, Buckeyes, Jillian mcVicker, Nichelle Prince, Nikki Walts, ohio state, osu

OSU freshman midfielder Sarah Roberts (10) controls the ball during a game against Bucknell on Sept. 13 at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. OSU won 2-0. Credit: Carlee Frank / For The Lantern

The Ohio State women’s soccer team hit the road for a set of games, collecting a victory at Iowa and a loss at Nebraska.

The Buckeyes traveled to Iowa City, Iowa, for a Friday evening matchup, beating the Hawkeyes 3-1.

Junior forward Nichelle Prince was responsible for two of the Buckeyes’ three goals.

Prince connected on her first strike in the 34th minute after she dribbled past a duo of Hawkeye defenders and launched the ball 25 yards out that slammed into the bottom of the crossbar before getting past Iowa’s goalkeeper.

Within the next two minutes, however, the Hawkeyes answered when senior forward Brooke Backes shot one past OSU redshirt junior goalkeeper Jillian McVicker off of an assist from junior defender Rachele Armand.

OSU headed into halftime with a 10-5 advantage in total shots, including a 6-1 edge in shots on goal.

Sophomore midfielder Nikki Walts was the next to put a point on the board for the Buckeyes when she converted a free kick from 20 yards out.

The Scarlet and Gray then put the game away when Walts found Prince in the 84th minute to give the Buckeyes a 3-1 victory.

Looking to continue its winning ways, OSU traveled to Lincoln, Nebraska, for a Sunday afternoon tilt, in which the Buckeyes fell to the Cornhuskers 2-0.

The Cornhuskers got off to a hot start that was too much for the Buckeyes to recover from.

Junior midfielder/forward Courtney Claasen found the back of the net just five minutes into the game, as she slotted one past McVicker from the right side.

Two minutes later, Nebraska registered its second and final goal of the game.

OSU held a 15-13 advantage in total shots — 8-6 on goal — but was unable to find the back of the net as Nebraska sophomore goalkeeper Erika Johnson kept a clean sheet to preserve the victory.

The Scarlet and Gray emerge from the weekend at 6-3-2 on the season and 1-2-1 in Big Ten play.

The Buckeyes are next scheduled to travel to Champaign, Illinois, on Friday to play the Illinois Fighting Illini. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.