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Ohio State Men's Soccer (2024 B1G Champions)

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Emperor Brutus

Emperor Brutus

more jester than prince
To start the season Ohio State faced off against thirteenth ranked West Virginia.

The Buckeyes played a sloppy game shooting the ball wide of the mark on five of their eleven chances. However the game was decided early on the foot of Ohio State's Xavier Balc when he slotted a penalty kick passed West Vigina's Zach Johnson. That was the only goal Ohio State would need as Ohio State senior keeper Casey Latchem and his defense did not allow the Mountaneers to score.
 
Ohio State climbed into the top twenty-five in their third week claiming the twenty-second spot in the nation. The newly ranked Buckeyes faced Old Dominion at Penn State's Nike Classic.

Old Dominion would shoot 5 of their 7 shoots off frame, but the two that they shot on goal they made count. Old Dominion struck first on a Nane Joseph pass that found teammate Trevor Banks for the first goal of the game. Patrick Roan would get the Bucks back in the game as he slotted his first goal of the season through. However, Banks wasn't done yet when four minutes later he scored his second goal of the season and the game. The half would end with Ohio State down two to one to Old Dominion. Just two and a half minutes into the second half Tim Gabel and Xavier Balc would put together a good play that resulted in a goal by Andrew Magill. Later Balc would team up with Eric Edwards to assist Ryan Kustos in the game winning goal.
 
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Ohio State's second game at the Penn State Classic would be a laugher, where the Buckeyes would beat up on a hapless William & Mary with a final score of five to nothing. Eric Brunner, Kyle Retzlaff, Tim Gabel, Xavier Balc and Roger Espinoza would do the scoring for the Buckeyes.
 
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After the Penn State Classic Ohio State took their twelfth ranking on the road to visit tenth ranked UCLA. Ohio State would have more shot attempts and more shots on goal, but it would be the Bruins that would jump out to an early lead. In the ninth minute Maxwell Griffin would get the Bruins on the board ten minutes later Ohio State would give up a penalty kick that Michael Stephens would take advantage of to put UCLA up by two. That would be the only scoring UCLA would need, Jason Leopoldo put a third goal passed the Buckeyes in the second half before UCLA let the ball fall into their own net. The own goal resulted in Ohio States only point of the game.
 
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Ohio State still ranked number twelve in the nation came out angry after their defeat to the Bruins and would take it out on Cal State Fullerton. In a game where Ohio State had twenty-three shots and twelve shots on goal Andrew Magill would get things started for the Buckeyes. Skyler Thuresson would answer for Fullerton though that would be the last of their scoring on the day. After the Fullerton Goal Xavier Balc took over, assisting on the next four goals. Balc spread it around to four different teammates, Eric Brunner, Danny Irizarry, Eric Edwards and Matt Gold would all score off of passes from Balc. Ryan Kustos would round out the scoring for Ohio State as they won six to one.
 
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Even with the bounce back win the Buckeyes suffered in the polls due to the UCLA defeat. Ohio State dropped to nineteenth in the nation before their game against Bowling Green.

Both teams got out to a slow start in a scoreless first half. For the first fifteen minutes of the second half it looked as though it might turn out the same as the first, until Roger Espinoza scored off a Geoff Marsh pass for the Buckeyes, Espinoza's goal would be the only point of the game and enough to lift Ohio State over Bowling Green.
 
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The Buckeyes would open up Big Ten play against unbeaten and fifth ranked Northwestern. On a day where everything went right for the Wildcats and everything wrong for the Buckeyes Piero Bellizzi and Carl Pett would each score two as Northwestern downed Ohio State four to nothing.

The loss comes in a year where teams are looking to unseat the Buckeyes from their consistent runner up position in the Big Ten as Ohio State has finished second each of the last three years.
 
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After the embarrassing defeat to the Wildcats, Ohio State would slide to twenty-fifth in the nation with their next game against instate rival Akron. Akron would gift Ohio State the lead before halftime but it wouldn't be enough with the Buckeyes banging chances off the post and allowing a second half goal by Corey Sipos to tie the game. Though Casey Latchem let one goal by he was the hero of the game, making six great saves to maintain the tie.
 
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Ohio State would play Wisconsin Green Bay next, a challenging team at home Green Bay had held their last three opponents without a goal, Ohio State would become the forth. Ohio State played Green Bay to a scoreless tie through two over times until with 1:18 left in the second overtime JC Banks scored to win the game for Green Bay. The game maintained Green Bay's home unbeaten streak with their only two losses coming on the road.
 
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Ohio State would drop out of the polls due to the three game skid before taking on Cal State Bakersfield. In the eighty-sixth minute Xavier Balc would send a free kick into the box that Doug Verhoff would head home to snap Ohio States three games winless streak.
 
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Ohio State's second game in Big Ten play would come against Penn State. The two teams would play each other tight, but Penn State would misshandle a long throw in from the Buckeyes that would resault in the only goal of the game.

The win against Penn State puts Ohio State back into the thick of things as Penn State upset Northwestern and Ohio State handed Penn State its first loss in conference play.
 
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Though Ohio State had the better play last night they were only able to win the game by a single goal. Ohio State has never lost to Oakland, after last night the record stands at 7-0-1; Ohio State’s unbeaten record doesn’t mean the games haven’t been close. Last year when the two teams met Oakland got out to the early lead and were quickly up by two on the Bucks, Ohio State battled back scoring two goals of their own in the second half and finally put the game away with a third in overtime. Oakland came into The O 5-3-2 on the year with an undefeated record in conference.

Xavier Balc would put together another great game for Ohio State. The carrier leader in assists at Ohio State Balc continues to impress this season as he adds to his record, currently leading the Big Ten in assists with nine.

Ohio State got things going early as Balc welcomed Tim Gable back to the lineup with a corner kick that he headed home. Gable had been out for four games, the junior was a welcome site on the pitch. Thought the Bucks dominated the first fifteen minutes in what looked like possibly an easy victory, the Grizzlies weathered the storm and in the twentieth minute Stew Givens put Oakland on the board. The game would remain tied for much of the rest of the game with Oakland playing Ohio State tight and neither team able to get a good look at the net. Balc would be the difference in the game when he served a great ball into Eric Brunner off a corner that he headed home. It was Brunner’s seventh goal as a Buckeye and his fifth game winner.

Ohio State will now go on the road to face Wisconsin in Madison and Big Ten power Indiana in Bloomington. A difficult test for the Buckeyes, the next two games will show whether they have what it takes to win the Big Ten this year and shake their runner-up status.
 
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Ohio State built a three game winning streak against Cal State Bakersfield, Penn State, and Oakland, to maintain it they would have to win on the road in Madison. Ohio State has won five of the last six games between the two teams, and has the edge in the Badgers back yard. The Badgers have proven themselves to be a formidable team with wins over two top twenty-five teams; the number seven Berkley Bears and number twenty Gonzaga. Wisconsin returned six starters this season on a team that tied Ohio State last season as runners up in the conference. The last time the two teams met Ohio State won easily two to nothing with goals by Ryan Kustos and Dustin Kirby who is now with MLS side Real Salt Lake.
 
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The Wisconsin game proved that Ohio State has hope for the future when a talented group of seniors leave after this year. Ohio State would have to come from behind for the second time this season due to a Brandon Miller pass that found Victor Diaz for his third goal of the season to get the Badgers on the board first. Though sophomore Doug Verhoff would tie the game before the break the Buckeye offence looked anemic in the first half creating only four shots. Even with the poor offensive output of the first half after Verhoff tied the game junior Danny Irizarry banged the go ahead score off the post and a confident group of Buckeyes would go in at halftime with the tie. Ohio State would find its offence in the second half out shooting the Badgers twelve to four. The game winner would come in the sixty-seventh minute when junior Roger Espinoza found freshman Matt Gold for his second goal of the season and his first game winner. The win helps the Buckeyes continue their supremacy over the Badgers since their 1995 National Championship.

Ohio State must now prepare to go on the road again to face sixteenth ranked Indiana, the Hoosiers are a national power in soccer and have been Ohio State’s main obstacle in obtaining a Big Ten championship for the past three seasons. The Hoosiers will be favored in Bloomington, but if the Buckeyes can come out on top they will control their destiny for positioning in the Big Ten tournament.
 
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