Then-sophomore defender Austin Bergstrom (25) kicks the ball during a game against Michigan in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament on Nov. 9 at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. Credit: Lantern File Photo

Then-sophomore defender Austin Bergstrom (25) kicks the ball during a game against Michigan in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament on Nov. 9 at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.
Credit: Lantern File Photo

On Sunday night, the Ohio State men’s soccer team lost their second overtime game in a row, this time to UC Santa Barbara 1-0.

The only score in the match was by Gaucho junior midfielder Kevin Feucht on a far cross from freshman forward Jonah Adomakoh. The goal came just three minutes into the first overtime period.

“You can’t win when you don’t score,” Ohio State coach John Bluem said. “We probably, maybe deserved a draw in both games we played this weekend. To come up on the short side in both and in overtime is mentally tough on the team.”

The game kicked off at 9:15 p.m. after a delay that lasted over two hours due to rain and lightning in the area.

The Buckeyes spent much of the early goings with possession of the ball, playing solid defense and connecting on their passes. However, OSU was unable to find scoring opportunities, getting outshot by UC Santa Barbara 8-1 through the first 45 minutes.

Opportunity presented itself for the Gauchos as a shot by sophomore striker Nick DePuy was saved by OSU redshirt freshman goalkeeper Parker Siegfried. DePuy launched another shot a minute later, this time the ball ricocheting off the post and out.  

Offside calls were an issue for the Buckeyes in the first period, registering three in the first 25 minutes of play. One such offside call resulted in a would-be goal getting taken away from OSU senior forward Danny Jensen.

The teams went into the half tied at zero.

In the 56th minute, OSU had a good scoring chance with a three-on-two man advantage in the Gauchos zone, but UC Santa Barbara freshman goalkeeper Titouan Le Roux made a diving save on a shot by Buckeye junior forward Marcus McCrary.

OSU had opportunities to put one in the back of the net in the second period, including a stretch around the 71st minute that included four straight corner kicks, all of which were defended well by the Gauchos.

In a match that got continuously more chippy as the night went on, UC Santa Barbara was called for 19 fouls, including two yellow cards, while OSU was called for six fouls.

Siegfried had a big night in net for the Buckeyes. The redshirt freshman goalkeeper recorded six saves, including a huge save in the 83rd minute on a penalty kick by Feucht after an OSU handball in the box. Siegfried thwarted his goal attempt, guessing correctly and falling to block the right side of the net, stopping the ball in its tracks.

Despite the impressive night in goal for Siegfried, the Buckeyes would eventually fall short.

“Its tough taking two overtime losses like that, but the one thing we really do have is a lot of fight,” Siegfried said. “This team is really made of a lot, and these guys have a lot of heart.”

Despite the two losses over the weekend, Bluem remains confident in his team’s abilities.

“I am very pleased with our performance,” Bluem said. “I know we can get better. We just got to encourage the guys to stay with it and keep after it, because we are going to be a good team.”

The Buckeyes next matchup is Friday, Sept. 2 at 10 p.m. at the University of Portland.