In their fourth NCAA Tournament appearance, the Stony Brook women’s soccer team fell to the Ohio State Buckeyes 5-1 in the first round on Wednesday, April 28 in Cary, North Carolina. The Seawolves had won their third America East title in the last four years to reach this point, but could not advance any further.
Senior forward Rachel Florenz scored the Seawolves’ only goal, matching their total from a 2019 tournament loss to Penn State. However, Stony Brook took four shots on goal, their best mark since the 2017 tournament.
“Congrats to [Ohio State head coach Lori Walker-Hock], her staff and Ohio State on a well-played game,” head coach Tobias Bischof said in a press release. “I am proud of our team for what they have accomplished from this journey that started back in August. I want to thank our seniors for an incredible career and now we turn our focus to the upcoming fall.”
Ohio State started the first half with an aggressive attack on the Seawolves’ defense. In the 8th minute of the game, the Buckeyes broke through and went up on the scoreboard 1-0. Ohio State senior midfielder Alyssa Baumbick cut inside the box and placed the ball past sophomore goalkeeper Emerson Richmond Burke, giving the Buckeyes an early lead.
Four minutes later, Ohio State increased its lead with a goal from sophomore forward Emma Sears. Sears got off a shot from the top of the box, perfectly placing the ball to beat Richmond Burke in the 12th minute.
However, the Seawolves kept their composure. In the 18th minute, sophomore defender Catharina von Drigalski found Florenz on a corner kick, who was able to get her head on the ball and sneak it past Ohio State senior goalkeeper Bailey Kolinski.
The Buckeyes immediately responded to Stony Brook’s goal by scoring in the 20th minute. Sears found Baumbick on a ground cutback pass, who put the ball in the back of the net, increasing Ohio State’s lead to two goals.
Ohio State was able to regain possession in the box after a Seawolves defender failed to clear the ball from the box. After regaining possession, a deflection off the ball came directly to sophomore defender Kitty Jones-Black, who capitalized on an isolated matchup against Richmond Burke to put Ohio up 4-1.
In the 75th minute, Ohio State won a corner and was able to convert another goal, this time via a header from senior forward Meghan Kammerdeiner.
With the loss, Stony Brook ends their season 6-4 overall. The Seawolves’ nine seniors could return next year under the NCAA’s expanded eligibility rules, but it is unknown whether they will do so.
Ohio State will move on to face No. 11-seeded Santa Clara in the next round of the tournament on Saturday, May 1 at 8 p.m.
