Lansing Sun

Michigan State fell 4-0 in its Big Ten opener on Friday at No. 6 Ohio State. The Spartans fall to 4-3 on the season, and the Buckeyes improve to a perfect 7-0 on the year.

Ohio State jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first quarter, with Katie Fichtner and Makenna Webster each picking up a goal and an assist. Two of the first three scores for the Buckeyes came off corner plays. OSU tallied a goal in the fourth quarter, as Lindsey Roberts was sent in on a breakaway, made a move to deke out Lyra Gavino, and scored her third goal of the season.

The Buckeyes had allowed just one goal in their previous four games, which were all played on the road. OSU earned wins at No. 10 Syracuse (5-0) and 2-1 at No. 18 Old Dominion. Their disruptive defense was on display from the start – the Spartans struggled to sustain offense for any long stretches and were limited to just eight shots on the day. Ohio State outshot MSU 19-7 and had a 10-2 edge in penalty corners. The Buckeyes also recorded their fourth shutout of the season and have allowed just three goals total in seven games.

Gavino had five saves for the Spartans, while OSU starter Abby Danson made two stops in just over 50 minutes of work. Kelly Davis came on in relief and made two saves as the Spartan pushed to break up the shutout.

MSU returns home for a Monday date with No. 9 Michigan, a game that airs live on Big Ten Network at 3 pm.

NOTES:

MSU was held without a goal for the first time this season. Ohio State had allowed just three goals in its first six games and recorded its fourth shutout of the year.

The four goals were the most that MSU had surrendered in a game this season.

Lyra Gavino finished the game with five saves, two off her season high of seven set at Cal.

Skylar Santucci made her first start of the season.

Katelyn Dulin saw her first game action of 2024.