Bough, Goldean, Webster Are Big Ten Preseason Players to Watch – Ohio State Buckeyes

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A pair of returning all-region players and a potential impact transfer are among the three Ohio State Buckeyes who on Wednesday were named to the Big Ten’s Preseason Players to Watch list.

Captains Leanne Bough, a senior from Whitney Point, N.Y., and Emma Goldean, a fifth-year senior from Charlotte, N.C., are joined on the list by Makenna Webster, a junior from St. Louis, Missouri who is joining the Buckeyes after two years playing ice hockey at Wisconsin.

Bough, who has played in 49 career games entering the 2022 season, was Ohio State’s second-leading scorer last fall with 10 points. Four of her five goals were game-winners, including the lone tallies in 1-0 wins over Miami University (Sept. 6) and Ball State (Aug. 27). For her efforts, Bough was a second team All-West Region selection by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association last November.

Goldean brings 72 games of experience and 69 career starts to her fifth season with the scarlet and gray. She is Ohio State’s active career leader in points (29) and goals scored (nine) after leading the team with 11 points in 2021. She scored two goals in a 4-3 win over Ohio and added single tallies vs. Lafayette, Wake Forest and Saint Joseph’s. In addition to second team All-Region honors, Goldean was also a second team All-Big Ten selection.

Webster transferred to Ohio State this past summer and will play both ice hockey and field hockey at Ohio State. While Wisconsin doesn’t have a field hockey program, Webster was a member of the St. Louis’ Gateway Field Hockey Club’s U-19 team at the 2021 USA Field Hockey National Club Championships. A player for the club since she was in second grade, she helped the team to a second-place finish in the tournament.

In ice hockey, Webster was named the Most Outstanding Player at the 2021 Frozen Four where she helped the Badgers win the national championship. In her two seasons in Madison, she registered 66 points on 31 goals and 35 assists.

Season Opener on Friday
Ohio State, ranked No. 22 in the initial NFHCA preseason poll, opens its 52nd season of field hockey on Friday afternoon with a neutral site game vs. Northeastern on the campus of the University of Albany. The Buckeyes take on the Great Danes on Sunday, Aug. 28, before returning to Columbus for their home opener on Sunday, Sept. 4 vs. Lehigh.