Fischer’s Big Day Powers Buckeyes Past Illinois 6-1 – Ohio State Buckeyes

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – After its best offensive game of the season on Thursday night, No. 20 Ohio State kept the scoring going on Sunday, dominating Illinois in a 6-1 victory.

That keeps the Buckeyes unbeaten in their last seven matches and right in the thick of the Big Ten championship race. Ohio State is now 10-2-3 overall and 5-1-2 in Big Ten play.

For the second consecutive game, a Buckeye recorded a hat trick as Kayla Fischer continued her torrid streak with three goals. She also added an assist in the game. Sophomore Kailyn Dudukovich followed her hat trick on Thursday with another goal on Sunday.

How it Happened

The Buckeyes got on the board in the 15^th minute as Kine Flotre played a beautiful through ball up to Fischer. She one-touched the ball across the box to Dudukovich who slid a shot home to put the Buckeyes in front 1-0.

Illinois then evened the score with a long shot against the run of play in the 21^st minute. Fischer then gave the Buckeyes the lead back for good as she took a ball from near midfield and dribbled to the top of the box and banged a shot over the leaping Illinois keeper.

Leading 2-1 at the break, the Buckeyes broke the game open with three goals in the first seven minutes of the second half. Fischer scored her second goal off a pass from Peyton McNamara in the 47 minute and then :59 seconds later, Emma Sears took a ball down the right side and before her shot, an Illinois defender deflected the ball into the net.

With Illinois on its heels, Fischer completed the hat trick in the 53^rd minute as she hit home a rebound off a wonderful shot by Sears and the Buckeyes were in front 5-1. Junior Christin Baumbick capped the scoring at the 73-minute mark, as she stole a pass and hit another beautiful long strike that beat the Illini keeper.

Notes

• Kayla Fischer recorded the first hat trick of her career and the 19^th in program history
• Fischer has scored a goal in each of the last five matches, the longest streak of her career. She now has eight goals on the season with seven in the last five games
• This was the second consecutive game with a hat trick, marking the first time in program history that has happened
• Kailyn Dudukovich scored her fourth goal in the last two games and now has seven goals on the year. That matches her goal total from last season
• Christin Baumbick recorded her first goal of the season and the second of her career
• Freshman keeper Molly Pritchard played…