Wildcats Edged By Buckeyes in Big Ten Opener, 3-2

9/21/2012 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey

Sept. 21, 2012

Box Score

Site: Columbus, Ohio (Buckeye Varsity Field)
Score: Ohio State 3, #10 Northwestern 2
Records: NU (8-2, 0-1 Big Ten), Ohio State (3-3, 1-0 Big Ten)
Next NU Event: Sunday, Sept. 23 --at Ohio (Athens, Ohio), 11 a.m. CT

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Senior Chelsea Armstrong scored twice, but No. 10 Northwestern dropped its Big Ten opener 3-2 to Ohio State Friday afternoon at Buckeye Varsity Field.

The Wildcats jumped on the hosts right out of the gates as they earned a penalty corner and Armstrong, reigning Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week, fired a blast past Emma Voelker to put Northwestern in front. Lisa McCarthy and Julia Retzky were credited with assists on the play.

However, the Wildcats would manage just two more shots the remainder at the half. Ohio State used a penalty corner to its advantage as well. An initial shot was blocked before Maddy Carpenter came up with a save of a Berta Queralt attempt, but Queralt cleaned it up to knot the match 1-1 at the 19:39 mark.

The Buckeyes would take the lead at 28:22 when Kaitlyn Wagner tallied her first score of the season as OSU took a 2-1 advantage into the intermission.

Northwestern appeared to tie the game midway through the second half, but the goal was disallowed as it was ruled to have gone off of a Wildcat player's foot.

The deficit continued to remain one through the majority of the stanza when the Wildcats pulled Carpenter from goal for an extra attacker with a little over six minutes remaining. Ohio State would earn another penalty corner and converted with 3:21 left to increase its lead to two.

Armstrong answered just one minute later on her second score of the match, again on a penalty corner, to make it a one-goal game again with 2:23 remaining. McCarthy and Retzky again picked up assists on Armstrong's Big Ten-leading 15th goal of the year.

Northwestern was unable to get the equalizer, though, as it saw its seven-match winning streak come to an end.

Ohio State finished with advantages of 12-8 in shots and 6-4 in corners.

The Wildcats return to action Sunday as it steps outside Big Ten play when it faces Ohio University in Athens. The contest gets underway at 11 a.m. Central time.

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