Webster's Game winner in overtime guides Buckeyes past Louisville

COLUMBUS, OH Two goals from Makenna Webster including the game winner 3:13 into overtime lifted the fourth-ranked Ohio State hockey team to a 4-3 win over No. 13 Louisville (5-5) on Sunday at a rain-soaked Buckeye Varsity Field. Ohio State is now 9-0 on the season, the best start in program history.

The Buckeyes outscored Louisville 16-8 on the day and three different Buckeyes saw goals.

How it happened

• The first half was a defensive battle, with neither team scoring and combining for just five shots in total. Juniors Katie Fichtner And Loryn Jordan recorded shots for the Buckeyes.
• The Cardinals opened the scoring in the third quarter, finding the back of the goal in the 36th minute on a penalty corner. The Buckeyes answered and scored inside the 40^e minute on a penalty corner and at the 44:49 minute before the buzzer on another corner shot.
• The Buckeyes kept their momentum going in the fourth quarter, finding the cage in the 48th minute. The Cardinals answered and scored at the 52:46 minute mark to close the gap to one, then again with 1:10 left in the game to make it 3–3.
• Ohio State gained possession heading into overtime, where the Buckeyes scored the game winner at 63:13.

How the goals were scored

• Junior midfielder Izzy Bianco struck first for the Cardinals on a penalty corner. She was joined by sophomore midfielder Sophia Parker and junior forward Rylie Wollerton.
• Fichtner put the Buckeyes on the board in the 40th minute on a direct penalty corner shot to the back of the cage. Second midfielder Anne Marie Krebs and senior back Erin Klein the help added.
• With 11 seconds left in the third quarter, Makenna Webster scored her ninth goal of the season, scoring on a redirection from the save of the first shot.
• Lindsey Roberts opened the scoring in the fourth quarter on a fly pass from Camryn Forgash to the front of the circle. Roberts has now scored five goals this season.
• Wollerton scored for the Cardinals in the 52nd minute thanks to an assist from senior midfielder Aimee Plumb.
• Louisville's Chloe Plumb scored to tie the score with 1:10 left in regulation.
• Webster scored the game winner three minutes into overtime, finding the goal after two consecutive saves by Louisville.

Buckeye this and that

• The Buckeyes move to 9-0 on the season after today's win, a new program record for best start to the year.
• Ohio State now tops the four NFHCA-ranked teams of the year: UAlbany, Syracuse, Old Dominion and Louisville. The Buckeyes combined to score 17 goals in those wins.
• Webster now has ten goals this season and has scored at least one point in all nine games this year.
• Today's win marks the first time since 2018 that Ohio State has topped Louisville, with that win also coming in overtime (3-2). The Buckeyes are now 19-13 against the Cardinals all-time.
• The time between Louisville's first goal and Ohio State's was the first time since the first game of the season that the Buckeyes trailed their opponent.
• Ohio State's last overtime victory came in November 2023, when they defeated Penn State 4-3 in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament.

Statistically speaking
Recordings: Ohio State 16, Louisville 8
Shots on target: Ohio State 10, Louisville 4
Penalty corners: Ohio State 7, Louisville 3
Saves: Ohio State 6, Louisville 1
Score overview: LOU Q3 36:48 Izzy Bianco (Sophia Parker/Rylie Wollerton); OSU Q3 40:48 Katie Fichtner (Anne Marie Krebs/Erin Klein); OSU Q3 44:49 Makenna Webster (unassisted) OSU Q4 48:15 Lindsey Roberts (Cameron Forgash) LOU Q4 52:46 Rylie Wollerton (Aimee Plumb), Q4 58:50 Chloe Plumb (unassisted) OSU OT 63:12 Makenna Webster

What's on tap

The Buckeyes are off on Friday, but will hit the road against rival Michigan in Ann Arbor on Sunday at 1 p.m. Information about live stats and how to stream can be found on the OhioStateBuckeyes.com schedule page.