The Buckeyes’ men’s soccer team gathers on the field during the Ohio State-Northwestern game on March 7, 2021. Ohio State won 4-2. Credit: Christian Harsa | Special Projects Director
The Ohio State men’s soccer team is preparing to face Rutgers Sunday at 1 p.m. in Piscataway, New Jersey. The Buckeyes must win to solidify a spot in the Big Ten tournament.
The Buckeyes (6-8-1) are aware of what is at stake Sunday when they face Rutgers (8-5-2) as a berth to the Big Ten tournament is looming. After two big wins versus Penn State (9-6-1) and Michigan (7-6-3), the Buckeyes are looking to keep the momentum rolling by playing as a unit.
Sophomore defender Thomas Gilej said the Buckeyes are going to be just fine this weekend if the team stays in unison and plays their style of soccer.
“It’s just staying together as a team and doing everything as a family,” Gilej said. “As long as we outwork them and keep working hard, we should be good to go and get that win on Sunday.”
Ohio State head coach Brian Maisonneuve said his team is familiar with the difficult task of win or go home that lies ahead of them, but the general message hasn’t changed from the coaching staff.
“We have already dealt with it in two games, we know our backs are against the wall,” Maisonneuve said. “I am really excited where we’re at in terms of we know the challenge ahead of us and we got one more game with that same challenge.”
Gilej said the mindset and preparation is just about one game at a time as they know the obstacle that lies in front of the Buckeyes.
“We were kind of in a tough spot when we were 0-5 and we knew we had to turn it around,” Gilej said. “We did a very good job against Penn State and Michigan. We know that we still have to get this win to secure a spot in the Big Ten tournament.”
The Buckeyes’ scoring average is 1.067, which has improved over the past two games against Penn State and Michigan. Ohio State has scored a total of four goals in the two most recent games it played.
Maisonneuve said the offense is finally starting to click and he is glad to see some shots go in the net.
“We have obviously finally found the back of the net, now we are getting a little bit more goal-dangerous,” Maisonneuve said. “I like the rhythm that we are in.”
Rutgers has given up just 17 goals in 15 games, ranking their defense fourth in the Big Ten in terms of goals allowed.
Maisonneuve said the Buckeyes are familiar with the defensive scheme that the Scarlet Knights implement, and they are focused on what they can control to have success.
“Rutgers plays a back five and they attack out of a 3-4-3, so it’s a little bit different, but we have seen it, a lot of it is just us taking care of business,” Maisonneuve said.
Rutgers plays a physical style of soccer. The Scarlet Knights have 192 fouls on the season, an average of 12.8 fouls a game. Rutgers has 33 yellow cards, which is No. 1 in the Big Ten.
Freshman midfielder Joakim Jahnsen said the Buckeyes can’t afford to get caught up in the physicality of the game and they need to keep their composure.
“They are a little dirty, they have a lot of yellow cards and some red cards,” Jahnsen said. “We have to be focused and not let them get in our heads.”
The Buckeyes will need to slow down Rutgers junior midfielder Jackson Temple. He has five goals on the season and is the Scarlet Knights’ best weapon. Rutgers has scored 19 goals in 2021, ranking fifth in the Big Ten.
“I think everyone is prepared for a hard game. They are very clinical and when they first have their chances they score them,” Jahnsen said.
Maisonneuve said he is pleased with the Buckeyes’ fight as the team has been able to stay alive.
“I’m so proud of these guys. We had a tough stretch, and it could’ve been easy to kind of pack it in, but they saw it,” Maisonneuve said. “It was coming, you could feel it. Trainings were good but even got better, which sometimes late in the season is hard to do. All credit to the guys for locking in.”
Ohio State will face Rutgers in a must-win game Sunday at 1 p.m. in Piscataway, New Jersey, for a berth in the Big Ten Conference tournament.
