A stormy night didn’t stop the Buckeyes from continuing their unbeaten streak.
Following an hour rain delay, No. 4 Ohio State (7-0-2, 2-0-1 Big Ten) tied the Indiana Hoosiers (2-3-4, 1-1-1 Big Ten) 2-2 Friday night at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium, following goals from senior midfielder Michael Adedokun and graduate defender Siggi Magnusson.
Even though the Buckeyes didn’t take a loss, Adedokun said the Buckeyes still need to work towards achieving victory.
“We prepare really well, and then do what we have to do on the field,” Adedokun said. “Unfortunately, we didn’t get the result.”
An aggressive Ohio State offense made its presence known early, with junior midfielder Ashton Bilow missing the first shot of the match within the first minute of play.
The Hoosiers responded quickly, with a shot from junior midfielder Jack Wagoner that went outside the left post.
Ohio State nearly found its opening in the 23rd minute, when Hoosiers junior defender Quinton Elliot turned the ball over to freshman forward David Ajagbe, whose shot went wide right of the goal.
In the 32nd minute, Adedokun scored the Buckeyes’ first of the match, sinking the ball into the top right of the Hoosiers’ net, putting the Buckeyes ahead, 1-0.
“Mikey’s had a great start to the year,” head coach Brian Maisonneuve said. “He does a lot of good things for us, and I thought it was a really well-taken goal.”
The goal was Adedokun’s fourth of the season and seventh in his career.
The Hoosiers equalized shortly after, with senior forward Samuel Sarver drilling the ball into the bottom right of the Buckeyes’ goal in the 40th minute.
The Buckeyes ended the half with 10 fouls to the Hoosiers’ four, while maintaining control on the offensive end with 10 shots to Indiana’s five.
“I liked how we started the half, and then, with the conditions, it made it a little bit tough,” Maisonneuve said. “But I thought overall the guys battled. I thought we had chances to win the game.”
The second half began with a chance from Buckeyes junior forward Tanner Creech in the 47th minute, which was blocked by Indiana senior goalkeeper JT Harms.
Magnusson found his mark in the 50th minute, heading the ball into the top right of the Hoosiers’ net to return the lead to the Buckeyes at 2-1, assisted by senior midfielder Anthony Samaways.
This was Magnusson’s second career goal in his second season with the Buckeyes.
“I was happy and excited. I was hoping that it would help the team,” Magnusson said. “So the first time I scored here, it was a good feeling. But I would trade it for three points for sure, absolutely.”
The Hoosiers came back with the tying goal in the 79th minute, with senior forward Tommy Mihalic finding the bottom right of the Buckeyes’ net from inside the box to even the match at 2-2.
“Towards the end, they came back,” Adedokun said. “So, you know, it is what it is. You just have to keep going.”
The Buckeyes will hit the road Friday at 7 p.m. to take on the Michigan Wolverines at the University of Michigan Soccer Stadium.
