The No. 17 Ohio State men’s soccer team traveled to Ann Arbor on Tuesday in a matchup against Michigan. Credit: Zachary Rilley | Photo Editor
On a rainy night in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the No. 17 Ohio State men’s soccer team traveled to Michigan and poured in the goals for a 3-1 win at University of Michigan Soccer Stadium Tuesday.
Brian Maisonneuve picked up his second win versus the Wolverines (3-7-3, 1-4-1 Big Ten) as head coach of the Buckeyes (7-1-4, 3-1-1 Big Ten), while junior midfielder Laurence Wootton — who came off the bench Tuesday — scored a game-winning goal for the second-consecutive season against Michigan.
The Wolverines came out attacking and applied pressure on the Buckeyes early. However, the momentum shifted in favor of Ohio State after sophomore midfielder Joakim Jahnsen’s 18th-minute goal outside the 18-yard box.
Ohio State played both more aggressively and sloppily, picking up seven fouls — including two yellow cards in the first half.
Maisonneuve said at halftime on Big Ten Network he thought his team had a good first half but could have converted a couple more goals. He said he was happy Jahnsen picked up his first goal of the season.
“I thought we could have served a couple more balls in from an attacking standpoint,” Maisonneuve said. “Michigan’s very fast, so when the ball turns over, we’ve got to be aware of the counter.”
Michigan came up with several chances in the second half and converted on a corner kick assist from junior midfielder Bryce Blevins to freshman forward Nicholas Kaloukian in the 57th minute to tie the match at one goal apiece
Although Kaloukian picked up only his first goal of the season for the Wolverines, he led the pressure against the Buckeyes and had several opportunities to score on his own.
Michigan controlled possession for much of the second half, but Ohio State converted its only two shots on goal, including back-to-back goals from Wootton in the 76th minute — assisted by freshman midfielder Luciano Pechota — and junior midfielder Parker Grinstead in the 77th minute to put the Buckeyes up 3-1.
After Grinstead went to the Michigan soccer student section, known as the Ultras, and raised an “O-H” sign with his hands, the match started to get more chippy. Sophomore defender Jason Bucknor picked up a yellow card in the 80th minute for Michigan and the intensity heightened.
Michigan’s seven corner kicks, including five in the second half, and five shots on goal were not enough to come close to Ohio State, thanks to four saves from senior goalie Keagan McLaughlin.
The Buckeyes return home to host Northwestern (1-6-4, 0-3-2 Big Ten) for another conference matchup Sunday at 2 p.m. at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.
