Sunday, Kent State (0-1, 0-0) fell to the Buckeyes (2-0, 0-0) on the road for the season opener. The Flashes have not played Ohio State since the 2020 season. Kent is 0-1 against them all time since the start of the program, now 0-2. The team struggled offensively and could not find rhythm early in the game.
Head coach Brianne Tierney said there was a lot of anticipation for the team leading up to this matchup.
“We have a lot of Columbus kids. So it’s exciting for everyone that’s from Columbus to look up to Ohio State and exactly, their whole lives are around their football games,” Tierney said. “I think there’s a little bit of a chip on their shoulder to be able to play.”
Kent State held zero assists on six goals. 20 total shots compared to the Buckeyes 37 attempts. Ohio State’s shots on goal was more than two times Kent’s percentage (12-30). The Flashes were beaten on shot percentage (.300-.459).
“We just need to be more patient with our shots and using the right opportunities to shoot and to maybe get second and third chances on our shots, crashing the boards and getting those rebounds. We need more opportunities to score goals,” said Tierney.
In the first quarter, Ohio State was up 1-0, sophomore midfielder Zayda Crumpton then proceeded to tie it up 1-1 to score the first goal of the 2024 season. The tie did not last long, as the buckeyes moved past to score four more, ending the first quarter with seven shots on goal.
In the second quarter, the Flashes had no goals through the first 5 minutes. Ohio State made two goals, up 7-1. Junior attacker Allie Lee secured her first goal of the season, marking the score 7-2 late in the quarter. The Buckeyes quickly turned around, scoring three more goals back-to-back, securing a halftime lead of 10-2. At the half, Kent State led in turnovers (6-1) and shots on goal (20-11).
The Buckeyes started the second half strong, making 4 more goals to improve the score 14-2. With very little time left, Sophomore midfielder Emily Bond made a last minute goal, bringing the score 14-3 with no time remaining.
Senior goalkeeper Taylor Monturo allowed 10 goals, while having 10 saves.
“Monturo came in and made some huge stops for us. So it’s good when you have a bunch of good goalies that can go in there and make some stops. We trust all three of our goalies and what they’ll continue to do to improve all year” said Tierney. “I thought the defense played pretty well for the firepower Ohio State had.”
In the fourth quarter, Ohio State attacked first with a score of 15-3. Not long after, reigning MAC Offensive Player of the Year attacker Jackie Wolford secured her first goal of the season.
“Wolford is always really fun to watch. She’s a really special player, and they have to stop her, and it’s always interesting to see what teams do against her,” Tierney said. “She’s just such a good teammate and a good player.”
The Buckeyes came back again to score two more goals. Crumpton went on to score her second goal of the game, along with freshman attacker Morgan Halli scoring her first career goal with nine seconds remaining in the fourth.
“We played really hard. Defense played very tough. We transitioned the ball well, which we struggled with last year. Just got to go and work on some draws and some shooting and we’ll be in good shape,” Tierney said.
Coming up, Kent State will return home to face off against George Mason on Feb. 17. Game time is set for 1 p.m at Dix Stadium.
Jack Parrino is a reporter. Contact him at [email protected].
