Columbus, Ohio – The Ohio State women’s soccer team (6-2-3, 2-0-3 Big Ten) met Northwestern (7-4-1, 3-0-2 Big Ten) in conference action Friday night at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. Lisa Grubb tallied a pair of goals as the Buckeyes rallied past a 1-0 halftime deficit to extend their current 10-game unbeaten streak with a 2-1, overtime win against Northwestern (7-5-1, 3-3-0 Big Ten).
Grubb (Jr./Portage, Mich.) netted the match-winning goal in the 94th minute as she received a long cross from the left side from Lara Dickenmann (Fr./ Kriens, Switzerland) and headed a shot past Northwestern keeper Whitney Jones from 10 yards out for the win.
In the first period, Northwestern took the early lead when the Big Ten’s second-leading scorer Kelsy Hans tapped a loose ball into the front of OSU net for her 11th goal of the season in the 19th minute. Shannon Schneeman assisted on the score as the Wildcats took the 1-0 advantage into halftime.
Ohio State’s first attempt at a second-half rally came inside the 35-minute mark as the Buckeyes strung together a series of four corner kicks. On the third corner, Kathy Fulk (Sr./ Dublin, Ohio) fired a shot from inside the 6-yard box that was immediately turned away by Jones, who ended the match with 11 saves.
Less than eight minutes later, Ohio State mustered another attack and knotted the contest at 1-1 when Grubb buried a rebounded shot by Danielle Dietrich (Jr./ Cincinnati, Ohio) in the 63rd minute.
Moments later, Dietrich nearly sealed an OSU win in the 83rd minute, but her header was stopped by Jones in the middle of the 6-yard box as the match headed to overtime. The pair of goals for Grubb upped her season total to a team-best six goals, while Dietrich moved her team-leading assist total to five. Dickenmann added her fourth assist of the season.
Emily Haynam (Sr./ Westerville, Ohio) scored the win in net for Ohio State and moved to 4-1-2 on the season. Senior defender Erica Nollen (Sr., West Chester, Ohio) started her 75th consecutive match Friday and helped the Ohio State defense limit Northwestern to just 10 shots on the night.
Lori Walker, Ohio State head coach, was pleased with the win, but also expects improved play as the Big Ten season reaches its peak in the coming weeks.
With the win, Ohio State moved to 5-0-1 at home this season and owns a 12-1-3 mark in its last 15 games at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. The Buckeyes look to continue their winning ways at home Sunday vs. No. 11 Illinois at noon.