Fischer and Barnett Earn B1G Player of the Week Honors – Ohio State Buckeyes

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Coming on the heels of a 3-0 win over No. 6 Penn State and a fourth consecutive shutout, Ohio State graduate forward Kayla Fischer and senior defender Talani Barnett have each been named a Big Ten Player of the Week. Fischer earns offensive honors while Barnett claims her second defensive honors.

Fischer scored a goal in each of Ohio State’s wins last week, including the game-winning goal in the win over Penn State. She broke a streak of eight-consecutive games without a goal by tallying her second of the season in the 4-0 win over Indiana on Thursday. Against Penn State on Sunday, in a 0-0 tie in the second half, Fischer took the ball from near midfield all the way into the box and scored the game’s first goal. That goal turned the tide completely and opened the door for the Buckeyes’ next two goals. The Kent, Ohio native now has 23 goals in her career which is tied for 12th in program history

Barnett has played like an All-American all season and this week was no exception. The Bay Shore, N.Y. native was the only Buckeye to play all 90 minutes in each of the two shutouts over Indiana and Penn State. The Hoosiers had just three shots on goal and Penn State was limited to just five shots on goal, but none really threatened an OSU keeper. The four consecutive shutouts for Barnett and the Buckeyes are the most in a consecutive games since the 2017 season.

For Fischer, this is her first player of the week honor this season and the third of her career. She also earned the award as a freshman on Aug. 28, 2018, and last year as a senior on Sept. 7, 2021. Barnett earns her second defensive player of the week honor in the last month. She is the first Buckeye to win multiple defensive player of the week awards in the same season since Lauren Robertson claimed the award four times in the 2009 season.

Fischer and Barnett are the first pair of Buckeye teammates to earn player of the week honors in the same week since Izzy Rodriguez (defensive) and Devon Kerr (goalkeeper) each earned the away on Sept. 25, 2018.

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