Ohio State
3-3-3
Louisville
5-2-1
| Team | 1 | 2 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio State | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Louisville | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Buckeyes Upset No. 5 Louisville, 1-0 – Ohio State Buckeyes
9/30/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Sept. 30, 2014
RELATED INFO • Follow the Buckeyes on Facebook and Twitter • Box Score COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State men’s soccer team claimed a 1-0 upset victory at No. 5 Louisville Tuesday evening at Lynn Stadium in Louisville, Ky. The win for the Buckeyes (3-3-3) marked the first road victory against a Top 10 opponent since the 2004 campaign. Senior midfielder Yianni Sarris scored the only goal in the match in the 33rd minute, while the Buckeye defense held strong throughout the entire 90 minutes to snap a four-match win streak for the Cardinals (5-2-1). “The first half we were under an enormous amount of pressure but we were able to hold our own,” head coach John Bluem said. “We were able to capitalize on a defensive breakdown and Yianni wasn’t picked up by a defender and put a solid strike on net. Louisville is a very good team and I am extremely proud of our guys. We had a plan to stop their attacks and it worked. They fought hard and played smart and it’s great for them to earn a big win like this tonight.” Despite being outshot 15-6, the Buckeyes scored the lone goal of the contest before heading into halftime. A misplay on a header clearance by the Cardinal back line led to a turnover when Sarris, a native of Mentor, Ohio, gained possession from the top of the 18 and rocketed in a shot into the back of the net at 33:52 for his team-best third goal of the year. “The ball was headed into the middle and I saw that I had some space to go at their back line with speed,” Sarris said. “Danny [Jensen] made an outstanding run forward which made their center backs follow him and created the opportunity for the shot. It’s a huge win for our team after falling short in our last three matches. It was an all-around team effort and I’m proud of our guys with the way we battled today.” Senior goalkeeper Alex Ivanov posted three saves including back-to-back saves in the 23rd and 26th minutes, respectively. The 2014 Senior CLASS Award candidate improves to 3-3-3 on the year, collecting his fourth shutout of the season and 12th of his career. Following halftime, Ivanov came up with a huge save in the opening minute of play when he denied a shot from six yards out with his right hand to keep it a 1-0 match. One of the Cardinals’ best chances came during the 74th minute when Ricardo Velazco gained possession on a loose ball from five yards out, but his shot sailed over the cross bar to maintain the 1-0 Buckeye lead. With the Cardinals pushing forward and time winding down on the clock, the Buckeyes also had a few chances to take advantage on the counterattack. Freshman Marcus McCrary had a nice run on a ball during the 69th minute, but his shot from the far post was saved by goalkeeper Joachim Ball. Sophomore forward Danny Jensen had a great look at net six minutes later, but was denied by Ball. Louisville earned three corners in the second half, including in the final seconds of the contest, but the Ohio State back line held strong and cleared away a last-second attempt to earn its first ranked win of the year and giving the Cardinals their first home loss of the season in front of crowd of more than 2,800 fans. UP NEXT Ohio State will now take its momentum into its Big Ten home match against No. 17 Michigan State at 7 p.m. ET Saturday at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. The contest will be the team’s Alumni Game and will be streamed on BTN Plus.
Team Stats
Sarris, Yianni (3)
From top of 18 after gaining control of
33:52
