Aug 20, 2013
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State men’s soccer team used a pair of first-half goals to defeat IPFW, 2-0, in preseason action Tuesday night on Bert L. & Iris S. Wolstein Field at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. The Buckeyes are 1-1 in exhibition action this fall with a third and final match set for next Monday at Notre Dame.
Sophomore Alex Bujenovic finished with three points, tallying the first goal and assisting on the second by rookie Max Moller, while junior Yianni Sarris played a part in both scores. In all 20 players took the pitch for the Scarlet and Gray with goalkeeper Andrian McAdams the only to see a full 90 minutes. The junior transfer came up with five saves on just eight Mastodon shots.
“What we really wanted to do tonight was take a look at all our players,” John Bluem, who enters his 17th season as Ohio State head coach, said. “Basically, we started a group that didn’t play very much in the first exhibition game. We gave them a run in the first half and they definitely showed some moments of promise.”
The goals came within 11 minutes of each other in the first half. In the 21st minute, Sarris carried the ball into IPFW territory and delivered a perfect cross to the feet of Bujenovic, a midfielder from Baton Rouge, La., who was able to tap in a goal from point-blank range.
The Buckeyes stretched their lead to two midway through the 32nd minute and once again, Sarris and Bujenovic were involved. The two midfielders connected on a couple of touch passes before sending it to Moller, who rifled a shot past the IPW goalie from near the top of the penalty box.
Ohio State finished with a 20-8 advantage in shots, including an 11-3 margin in the first half. Although they did not score in the second, the Buckeyes maintained possession for the bulk of the period, earning five of their six corners on the night.
There will be one more preseason tuneup for John Bluem’s OSU squad: a 7 p.m. Monday, Aug. 26 tilt against No. 7 Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind. Admission to the game at Alumni Stadium will be a $1 donation to benefit Grassroot Soccer (GRS), an international non-governmental organization that uses the power of soccer to educate, inspire and mobilize communities against the spread of HIV.
Ohio State will open the regular season with the eighth annual Bert and Iris Wolstein Classic Aug. 30-Sept. 1 at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. Cincinnati will open the tournament by taking on Northern Illinois at 5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 30, followed by Ohio State vs. UNC Wilmington at 7:30 p.m. The Buckeyes and Bearcats will then swap opponents for Sunday action with UC taking the field at noon, followed by Ohio State at 2:30 p.m. Admission to the Wolstein Classic, and to all regular-season home games, is free.
