Credit: Christian Harsa | Lantern File Photo
For the Ohio State men’s soccer team, a single goal — scored just three minutes into the match — would prove to be the difference between victory and defeat.
The Ohio State Buckeyes (1-0-1) defeated the Akron Zips (0-1-1) 2-0 at FirstEnergy Stadium in Akron, Ohio on the back of a goal by freshman forward David Ajagbe in the contest’s opening minutes.
Ajagbe received the dish from senior midfielder Anthony Samways, taking the pass headed to the center of the box and striking it into the net’s bottom right corner to give the Buckeyes a 1-0 lead and secure his second goal of the season.
In the ninth minute, Ajagbe nearly put in another goal with his second shot of the match, but narrowly missed the inside left post.
It wouldn’t take long for the Buckeyes to strike again. In the 29th minute, junior midfielder Luciano Pechota took a give-and-go pass from senior defender Deylen Vellios and scored the team’s second goal with a shot to the bottom right of the Zips’ net. The pass to Pechota would give the Buckeye captain the fourth assist of his career.
The Ohio State offense dominated in the first half, averaging 9 shots on goal, four of which were on target.
The Buckeyes came out swinging in more ways than one, accruing 16 fouls while the Zips garnered just eight; additionally, Vellios picked up a yellow card in the 37th minute.
The Buckeyes defense remained strong in the half, allowing just four shots in total and one on target, which was saved by redshirt freshman goalkeeper Patrick McLaughlin.
The Buckeyes had the first chance of the second half, as captain graduate midfielder David Wrona took a shot in the 49th minute that was saved by Zips redshirt-junior goalkeeper Mitch Budler.
The Buckeyes defense maintained its momentum throughout the second half, only allowing five shots on goal with McLaughlin saving two of them.
The Zips would match the Buckeyes’ aggression across the second half, receiving three yellow cards and matching the Buckeyes’ seven fouls in the period.
The Buckeyes offense had eight shots on goal in the second half, only two of which were on target due to five offside calls made against them.
Ultimately, this win puts the Buckeyes’ all-time record against their in-state rivals at 8-29-6.
Next up, Ohio State will host the annual Wolstein Classic at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium this Thursday. The event will begin with a contest between the University of Dayton and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas at 6 p.m., followed by the Buckeyes’ contest against the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Cougars at 8 p.m.
