No. 17 Ohio State Concludes Regular Season at No. 20 Northwestern

Buckeyes tied for third as Big Ten race heats up in final week

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The No. 17 Ohio State field hockey team wraps up the 2011 regular season at No. 20 Northwestern at 4 p.m. ET Friday at Lakeside Field in Evanston, Ill. Last time out, the Buckeyes (10-7, 3-2 Big Ten) posted a 2-0 shutout win at No. 8 Penn State Oct. 22 in State College, Pa.

 

BIG TEN RACE

With the Top 10 road victory, the Scarlet and Gray are tied for third in the Big Ten standings with the Nittany Lions (11-5, 3-2 Big Ten) headed into the final weekend of conference play. 


Ohio State can clinch a share of the Big Ten regular season championship with a win over the Wildcats (11-7, 1-4 Big Ten) and a Michigan loss. The first-place Wolverines (12-4, 4-1 Big Ten) host Indiana (9-6, 2-3 Big Ten) at 4 p.m. ET Friday, while second-place Iowa (13-3, 4-2 Big Ten) has concluded its Big Ten schedule.



HUGE ROAD WIN AT NO. 8 PENN STATE 
Last time out, Ohio State improved to 6-1 away from Columbus with a 2-0 shutout win at No. 8 Penn State Oct. 22 in State College, Pa. Leading the Buckeyes were senior tri-captain Jenn Sciulli, who posted a goal and an assist, while junior tri-captain Berta Queralt collected her 10th goal of the season.

 

Queralt put the team ahead, 1-0, at 10:33 following a penalty corner with the assist from Sciulli. The next 24 minutes went scoreless as senior goalkeeper Ally Tunitis notched four saves in the first half and finished the game with six stops.

 

Sciulli extended the lead to 2-0 with an unassisted goal at 52:52 off a penalty corner. Ohio State is now 9-0 this season when scoring the first goal of the game. The Buckeyes held Penn State scoreless, which came into the game ranked sixth in the country in scoring average (3.83).

 

SCIULLI NAMED DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Jenn Sciulli was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, the conference office announced Tuesday. Sciulli, a native Palmyra, Pa., led the Buckeyes to a 2-0 victory at No. 8 Penn State Oct. 22 with a goal and an assist in State College, Pa. With her performance against the Nittany Lions, the OSU back earns the fourth weekly honor of her career. Sciulli is second in the nation in defensive saves with nine stops. Offensively, Sciulli, a 2010 second team All-Big Ten selection, has collected a season-high 14 points on four goals and six assists in her final campaign as a Buckeye.

 

BUCKEYES IN A NUTSHELL
Junior forward Berta Queralt leads the squad with 24 points (10g, 4a) followed by junior forward Danica Deckard with 22 points (10g, 2a).  Senior back Jenn Sciulli has  14 points with a team-high six assists, while sophomore Paula Pastor-Pitarque has eight points (3g,2a) and junior back Laura Napolitano has seven points (2g,3a). Senior goalkeeper Ally Tunitis is 10-7 overall with a 1.43 goals-against average.

As a team, Ohio State is averaging 14.9 shots per game, while allowing just 1.43 goals per game, which is third in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes lead the league in defensive saves with 12 stops.

 

THE BIG TEN STANDINGS

Ohio State (10-7) is tied for third in the Big Ten standings with Penn State (11-5) headed into the last weekend of the 2011 regular season. Michigan (12-4) is first with a 4-1 record, while Iowa (13-3) follows in second place with a 4-2 mark. Indiana (9-6), Northwestern (11-7) and Michigan State (7-10) round out the standings.

 

1.       Michigan (4-1)

2.       Iowa (4-2)

3.       Ohio State (3-2)
          Penn State (3-2)
5.    Indiana (2-3)

6.    Northwestern (1-4)

       Michigan State (1-4)

ROAD WARRIORS
The Buckeyes hold a 6-1 record away from Columbus in 2011. Danica Deckard leads the team on the road with 12 points (5g, 2a), while Berta Queralt has collected nine points (3g, 3a). Senior goalkeeper Ally Tunitis has a 0.51 goals-against average on the road with an .840 save percentage. Here is a breakdown of the team's comparison vs. opponents on the road:

·         18-5 advantage in goals scored

·         137-55 lead in shots

·         76-37 advantage in penalty corners

·         19.6 shots per game, while limiting opponents to 7.9 shots per game

 

OHIO STATE VS. OPPONENTS
The Buckeyes lead their opponents in multiple statistical categories:

·         32-26 advantage in goals scored

·         155-102 lead in shots on goal

·         14.9-11.5 advantage in shots per game

·         123-105 lead in penalty corners

 

QUEARLT, DECKARD LEAD BUCKEYES
Juniors Berta Queralt and Danica Deckard have combined to score 46 of the Buckeyes’ 84 points this season. Queralt and Deckard, who have 24 and 22 points, respectively, have been major factors in the team’s stretch of eight wins in 10 games, collecting a combined 35 points. The two OSU forwards lead the team with seven multi-point performances in 2011.


SCIULLI CLOSES IN ON STARTS RECORD
Jenn Sciulli, a native of Palmyra, Pa., currently has 81 career starts since joining the team in 2008. The senior back is one game away from trying former Buckeye and teammate Bri Doak (2007-10) for first on the OSU all-time list. The OSU captain has started every collegiate game for the Scarlet and Gray and has played more than 5,600 minutes in the Buckeye backfield.

TUNITIS IN THE RECORD BOOKS
Senior tri-captain Ally Tunitis is third on the OSU all-time career goalkeeper wins list with 35 victories since joining the program in 2008. The two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection, Tunitis is one victory away from tying former Buckeye Lindsay Williams (2002-05) for second in the record books.

 

The native of Macungie, Pa., Tunitis holds the single-season wins record set last season with 18 victories en route to the program’s first NCAA semifinal appearance.

 

The Buckeye goalkeeper also holds the OSU career goals-against average record with a 1.38 mark in 3,593 minutes played (third-most). With the 2-0 shutout at Penn State Oct. 22, Tunitis is now third in career shutouts with 13 overall, passing former OSU goalkeeper Kim Willis (1985-87).

 

FOUR GAMES, 15 POINTS FOR DECKARD
Junior forward Danica Deckard claimed a four-game point streak from Sept. 16-Oct. 4, collecting 15 points on seven goals and one assist in four OSU victories. Against then-No. 11 Michigan Sept. 23, Deckard tallied both goals, including the gamewinner with less than two minutes remaining in regulation. The native of Selinsgrove, Pa., continued her hot streak Sept. 27 at Ball State when she posted career highs in points (7) and goals (3) in the first hat trick of her career. The speedy forward was rewarded for her clutch play against the Wolverines when she was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week Sept. 27 – the first of conference weekly laurel of her career.

 

Deckard knocked in her eighth goal of the campaign in the opening minutes of a 3-2 victory against then-No. 13 Indiana Sept. 30 in Columbus. Deckard posted the team’s second goal against No. 20 Louisville Oct. 4 at Buckeye Varsity Field. The four-game point streak tied her career high set in 2010.


SCIULLI’S DEFENSE

Senior captain Jenn Sciulli claimed her ninth defensive save (career high) in a 2-1 loss at Michigan State Oct. 14. The Buckeye back leads the conference in defensive saves and is second in the nation in defensive stops.

 

A native of Palmyra, Pa., Sciulli now has 23 career saves and is second on the OSU all-time list. On the other side of turf, the OSU back leads the team in assists with six helpers this season.

 

SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
The Wildcats return to the turf after falling, 5-2, at home against then-No. 11 Iowa Oct. 22. Northwestern has ranked wins against American (Sept. 11), California (Sept. 16), Virginia (Sept. 18) and New Hampshire (Sept. 24). Offensively, the ‘Cats are led by junior forward Chelsea Armstrong who leads the Big Ten in points (55), goals (24)and points per game (2.94). Overall, Northwestern is first in the conference in assists (45), shots (283) and penalty corners (159). 


OHIO STATE VS. NORTHWESTERN 
The Wildcats lead the all-time series, 26-24-2, against the Buckeyes. However, Ohio State has won 22 of the last 23 games against Northwestern. The Scarlet and Gray are 22-1 vs. Northwestern under 16th-year head coach Anne Wilkinson.


Last Five Meetings…
Sept. 24, 2010 – Northwestern 3, Ohio State 2

Oct. 31, 2009 – Ohio State 2, Northwestern 1

Oct. 24, 2008 – Ohio State 6, Northwestern 0
Oct. 19, 2007 - Ohio State 3, Northwestern 0
Oct. 15, 2006 – Ohio State 4, Northwestern 0

100 POINTS AND COUNTING…

Junior captain Berta Queralt had a game to remember in the 4-3 overtime victory against Wake Forest Sept. 16 in Columbus. The OSU forward tallied four goals on eight points (career-highs), including the gamewinner in extra time vs. the Demon Deacons. With her eight-point performance, the native of Barcelona, Spain, became the ninth Buckeye in program history to collect at least 100 career points. Queralt, a two-time All-American, is currently sixth in the record books with 115 points.

 

Queralt leads the squad with 24 points on 10 goals and four assists. The eight-point performance by Queralt is tied for first in the Big Ten in individual game-highs with Kelsey Amy of Penn State and Kim Scraper of Iowa, who also claimed eight-point performances earlier this season.

 

UNDERCLASSMEN GAINING EXPERIENCE

Five Buckeye underclassmen have started in all 17 games this season, including sophomores Paula Pastor-Pitarque, Arielle Cowie, Nora Murer  and Christina Shea and freshman Kaitlyn Wagner. The four sophomores have a combined 123 starts since joining the squad during the 2010 season.

 

Along with Wagner, freshman Carly Mackessy has started in the last 12 games for the Scarlet and Gray. Sophomore Maria Swartz has played in 16 games this season and has seen more than 40 minutes of action in the last three games.