Ohio State Shuts Out Northwestern, 2-0, in B1G Opener – Ohio State Buckeyes

Sunday, September 14

Columbus, Ohio

Ohio State

2-0-3, 1-0B1G

Northwestern

2-1-2, 0-1B1G

Team	1	2	Final F
Northwestern	0	0	0
Ohio State	0	2	2

Ohio State Shuts Out Northwestern, 2-0, in B1G Opener – Ohio State Buckeyes

9/14/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer

Box Score

Sept. 14, 2014

Box Score

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State men’s soccer team began the conference season on a strong note with a 2-0 shutout victory against Northwestern Sunday afternoon at Bert L. & Iris S. Wolstein Field at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. The Buckeyes (2-0-3, 1-0-0 B1G) tallied two second-half goals by juniors Kyle Culbertson and Liam Doyle, respectively, en route to the league win over the Wildcats (2-1-2, 0-1-0 B1G). “We talked all week long about the importance of getting off to a good start in conference play and I thought it was a very strong performance by our guys today,” said head coach John Bluem. The win Sunday marked the first regular-season victory against the Wildcats since the 2005 campaign and coach Bluem said the team’s defense was the difference in the match. “We have a solid back four and Liam Doyle is a tremendous player for us,” Bluem said. “He has been the anchor since he’s arrived here and today we rallied around him. I thought our young guys in the back like Robertson, Bergstrom and Kidwell also played extremely well. We couldn’t ask for a better result on a beautiful day to play soccer.” Overall, Ohio State outshot the Wildcats, 12-8, while the defense did not allow a shot on goal for the entire 90 minutes of play. The Buckeyes also held an 8-6 advantage in penalty corners. Senior goalkeeper Alex Ivanov collected his third shutout of the season despite not having to make a save and stays undefeated with a 2-0-3 mark in 2014. After the first half went scoreless, the Buckeyes struck first when Culbertson’s shot from 20 yards out deflected off the head of an NU defenseman and bended into the top right corner of goal just out of the reach of Northwestern keeper Tyler Miller at 53:17. The goal was Culbertson’s first as a Buckeye, while senior midfielder Yianni Sarris picked up the assist to improve to a team-best five points this year. Twenty minutes later, the Buckeyes netted their second of the afternoon on a penalty kick. Culbertson struck a sliding shot from the near post and a handball was then whistled inside the penalty area at 73:39. Doyle then sent a shot into the back right of the net as Miller guessed left to give Ohio State the 2-0 advantage. Doyle is now 2-for-2 this year on penalty kicks. Solid defensive organization and support behind the ball was then the difference maker in the final moments of the contest as the Buckeye defenders denied the Wildcats any chance at net. Two shots in the 75th and 79th minutes by Northwestern went wide of net to keep it at 2-0. The Buckeyes will now have a week to prepare for their second conference matchup at Penn State at 1 p.m. Sept. 21 in State College, Pa. Both teams are 1-0 in the standings heading into week No. 2 and the Buckeyes are the lone Big Ten team to defeat the Nittany Lions in the past two years following a double overtime winner last year in Columbus. “Penn State is going to be a handful and they’ve won the conference back-to-back years,” Bluem said. “We’ve got a team that is maturing quickly and we’ve played in some tough environments already this season so hopefully we will be able to play well again on the road.” The team also held its “Kids Kicking Cancer” event Sunday morning at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. The program encourages young patients and survivors of cancer and blood disorders to be active and recognize the benefits of physical activity and healthy eating. The Buckeyes took part with the participants by help running the skills session. For game highlights and photo album, click above.