The No. 13 Ohio State men’s soccer team overcame a sluggish start to top Div. 3 Denison 5-0 Monday evening at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. The Buckeyes moved to 4-0-1 on the season with the win.
The game against Denison was added to the OSU schedule late last week because games with Boston College and Duquesne were canceled in observance of the tragic events that took place Sept. 11.
“We were happy to get a game in after our games this past weekend were canceled,” OSU coach John Bluem said. “Denison is a good Div. 3 program. We weren’t sharp early, but we simply wore them down.”
Ohio State controlled the ball for most of the first half, but could not capitalize on several scoring chances. Midfielder Andy Rosenband broke the scoreless tie in the 39th minute when he took advantage of a penalty kick.
Four minutes later, Rosenband put another shot in the net with assists from midfielders Peter Withers and John Tomaino to give OSU a 2-0 lead at the half.
“Tonight was good for Andy’s confidence,” Bluem said. “He is an exciting player who works very hard in practice.”
“We tried to force some things early,” Rosenband said. “But we finally settled down and we were able to put the ball in the net.”
The Buckeyes kept control in the second half, netting three goals. In the 57th minute, Justin Cook put a shot past Denison keeper Nick Saper. It was Cook’s first field action this season after having knee surgery Aug. 17.
“We got Justin to play about 30 minutes tonight,” Bluem said. “He will be able to help us a lot as he gets stronger.”
The fourth goal came just 23 seconds later when freshman midfielder Sammy Tamporello beat the defense on a breakaway.
AJ Weber tallied the final goal of the game in the 85th minute when he took a cross from Sam Migliano.
The Buckeyes will get their first big challenge this weekend when they host the Ohio State Nike Classic. OSU is scheduled to face No. 14 Creighton Friday and Southwest Missouri State Sunday. The Buckeyes lost to Creighton last season in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. No. 16 Penn State will also be a part of the tournament.
“The Nike Classic has three nationally ranked teams,” Bluem said. “We feel like we were very close to Creighton and they went to national final last year, so we expect a great match.”
The Nike Classic will be held at the newly finished Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium, which will be home for the men’s and women’s soccer teams, men’s and women’s lacrosse and track and field.
“This (Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium) is probably one of the best facilities in the nation for soccer,” Bluem said. “It gives our players a great advantage to play in this type of facility. What we need now is to get good crowds to come out.”
The Buckeyes have opened the 2001 season with a 4-0-1 record, including shutouts over West Virginia, Bowling Green and Denison. OSU’s lone non-win this season was against No. 25 Kentucky when the game ended in a 2-2 tie.
– compiled by Elizabeth Bookwalter
