Ohio State junior midfielder Marko Borkovic takes a corner during the match against Marshall in the NCAA tournament semifinals. The Buckeyes fell to the Thundering Herd 1-0, ending their season. Credit: Ohio State Athletics
The Buckeyes’ magical season and pursuit of their first NCAA championship is over.
Just seven minutes into the game, Marshall forward Tarik Pannholzer scored the only goal of the game as No. 1 Ohio State fell to the No. 13 Thundering Herd 1-0 Friday in the semifinals of the 2024 NCAA Men’s Soccer Tournament in Cary, North Carolina.
The Buckeyes thought they had the lead but a header from Ohio State forward David Ajagbe hit the top of the post in the sixth minute
A minute later, Marshall responded when Pannholzer took advantage of a collision between goalkeeper Max Trejo and defender Siggi Magnusson, tapping the ball into an open net to take the lead.
Ohio State nearly found its equalizer, yet again, in the eighth minute when Ajagbe targeted the top of the Bison’s net off a pass from midfielder Marko Borkovich, missing just high.
Despite being down one, Ohio State ended the half with 10 shots to Marshall’s six.
After a shotless first six minutes of the second, the Herd nearly extended their lead when Pannholzer took a powerful shot from the top of the box, but Trejo deflected the attempt.
In n the 61st minute, midfielders Parker Grinstead and Luciano Pechota each failed to capitalize on opportunities as both of their shots were blocked by Marshall goalkeeper Aleksa Janjic.
Eleven minutes later, Herd defender Takahiro Fujita was stretchered off the field after suffering an apparent leg injury, halting the game for nearly 10 minutes
However, the delay didn’t work in Ohio State’s favor as Marshall drained out the rest of the time to secure its spot in the championship.
