Women’s Soccer: No. 17 Ohio State ties No. 18 Iowa 1-1

Despite an early goal from the Buckeyes, Ohio State could not defeat the University of Iowa Hawkeyes Thursday.

Though the No. 17 Ohio State (6-1-2, 1-0-1 Big Ten) Buckeyes were the first squad to score against the No. 18 Iowa (6-0-3, 0-0-1 Big Ten) Hawkeyes for six games, a late-game equalizer from Iowa forced a 1-1 tie at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.

“All the games are hard from here on out,” Ohio State coach Lori Walker-Hock said. “You just gotta take each tactical adjustment because every Big Ten team plays a little bit differently.”

It only took nine minutes for the Buckeyes to get on the scoreboard, as sophomore forward/midfielder Amanda Schlueter scored off an assist from freshman forward Jadin Bonham.

This marked the first goal scored on Iowa in nearly a month, but Walker-Hock said Schlueter continues to look for opportunities.

“She assesses the game really well,” Walker-Hock said. “She studies the game really well. She’s very fit right now. She just has a work rate inside her heart that she’s never gonna give up.”

There was attacking potential early on from the Hawkeyes and the Buckeyes, with scoring opportunities being shut down by both teams’ defenses.

After the first 45 minutes, the Buckeyes outshot the Hawkeyes seven to six, as Schlueter led with three, including two on goal.

Despite solid in-the-box defense by the Buckeyes, the Hawkeyes were able to capitalize on a slightly slower second-half Ohio State team. Graduate forward Maya Hansen scored the first-and-only goal for the Hawkeyes from outside the box in the 68th minute.

Twenty-three minutes into the second half, the Hawkeyes out-possessed and outshot the Buckeyes 9-1.

With just under four minutes left in the game, the Buckeyes picked up the intensity with four more shots and two corners but were unable to capitalize on these chances.

“Obviously, that’s something we would rather have for the whole span of the game rather than just the end,” Schlueter said. “But again, that’s something we’re gonna have to figure out and fix moving forward.”

Next, the Buckeyes will host Northwestern at noon Sunday.