Ohio State
7-4-2, 2-1-1B1G
Kentucky
-731, 310 CUSA
| Team | 1 | 2 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio State | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Kentucky | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Win Streak Extends to Six as Buckeyes Shut Down No. 15 UK, 1-0 – Ohio State Buckeyes
10/14/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Oct. 14, 2015
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COLUMBUS, Ohio- The Ohio State men’s soccer team continues to roll. The Buckeyes claimed their sixth-consecutive win with a 1-0 shutout performance at No. 15 Kentucky Wednesday night in Lexington, Ky. With the Top 20 road victory, Ohio State ties the school win-streak record set during the 1987 and 1999 campaigns, respectively. The Buckeyes, unbeaten in their last eight contests, improve to 7-4-2 overall, while the Wildcats drop to 7-2-2.
“Tonight we played in a great environment for college soccer against a very good Kentucky team,” head coach John Bluem said. “The first half went back and forth, but we were able to get the goal coming out of halftime. Christian caught their defense with a quick throw-in and Culbertson struck a fantastic cross to the far post for Jensen to head it in. It was a great defensive effort by the entire team in the final twenty minutes too. This team is learning how to win these 1-0 games. I’m very proud of our guys in a really big road win.”
In a physical match, Danny Jensen scored the lone goal in the 57th minute when he headed in a service from the back post at 56:14. The assists were credited to Christian Soldat and Kyle Culbertson.
“Another great game from our guys,” Jensen said. “Our game plan worked and we knew a goal would come at some point. We were able to capitalize on our chances when it counted. I was just happy I could be in the right place at the right time.”
Senior goalkeeper Chris Froschauer, the two-time defending Big Ten Defensive Player of Week, continued to shine in front of the net. He made three saves to improve to 7-4-2 in his fifth shutout of the year.
“All the guys in the back really stepped up and played well in the second half to get another shutout win against another quality opponent,” Froschauer said. “This is a great win for us and our confidence as we keep moving forward.”
Froschauer made the save of the night when he stopped a hard shot by Napo Matsoso in the 50th minute. The C-USA Player of the Week gathered a rebound from a shot that caromed off the left upright and sent it to the near post, but Froschauer reacted well and denied the UK chance.
The OSU defense held strong in the final twenty minutes of play on both sides of the field, not allowing Kentucky any look at goal. Defenders Hunter Robertson, Tyler Kidwell, Liam Doyle and Austin Bergstrom each played in all 90 minutes and cleared away the late pressure by the UK attack. Overall, shots were 13-4 in favor of the Wildcats, while corners were 5-3 in favor of the Scarlet and Gray.
Ohio State was in command early on at The Bell Soccer Complex. The Buckeyes had the first shot on goal in in the fourth minute when Yaw Amankwa caused a UK turnover in the penalty area and flicked a pass back to Marcus McCrary. However, the OSU forward’s shot was saved by goalkeeper Callum Irving from the near post at 3:53. Culbertson tried his luck from distance, but his shot on goal was covered by Callum at 18:09.
Kidwell made several defensive plays to anchor a strong OSU backline that limited UK to few good looks at goal in the first half. Ohio State began to press in the final ten minutes of the half with back-to-back corners in the 36th, but couldn’t find a shot on target. Kentucky held a 5-3 lead in shots at halftime.
Ohio State returns to Columbus to host a key Big Ten match this weekend. The Buckeyes play Wisconsin at 2 p.m. ET Sunday at Bert L. & Iris S. Wolstein Field at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. As always, admission is free.
MATCH NOTES
- Ohio State improves to 7-4-4 all-time against Kentucky.
- The Buckeyes have not trailed in a match in a span of 738:53 – since the beginning of the second half at No. 11 Akron (Sept. 16).
- Jensen has scored all four of his goals during the Buckeyes’ eight-match unbeaten streak. He leads the team with nine points (4g, 1a).
- Froschauer collects his fifth shutout of the year. His 42 saves are third-most in the Big Ten.
- The win snaps Kentucky’s five-match win streak and gives the Wildcats thier first home loss of 2015.
- Ohio State is now 4-0 when tied at half during the eight-game unbeaten streak.
Team Stats
Jensen, Danny (4)
Assisted By: Culbertson, Kyle , Soldat, Christian
Throw-in, gets endline and serves far po
56:14
