Ohio State
10-5-2, 4-2-1B1G
Maryland
7-5-4, 2-2-3B1G
| Team | 1 | 2 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maryland | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ohio State | 1 | 0 | 1 |
No. 23 Buckeyes Jump to First Place with 1-0 Win over Maryland – Ohio State Buckeyes
10/31/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Oct. 31, 2015
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – The 100th win at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium was a memorable one Saturday night for the No. 23 Ohio State men’s soccer team. The Buckeyes (10-5-2, 4-2-1 B1G) claimed a 1-0 shutout victory over Maryland at Bert L. & Iris S. Wolstein Field to jump to first place in the Big Ten standings with 13 points. With their sixth straight home win, the Buckeyes also tally their first win over the Terrapins (7-8-4, 2-2-3 B1G) in school history.
“I’m really happy for this group of guys and they’ve been spectacular this year,” head coach John Bluem said. “The wind against us actually made it easier to attack in the first half as it held up longer. Yaw from Maryland really wanted to play well tonight and his goal was fantastic. I’m really proud of the team’s performance tonight.”
With one league game remaining, Ohio State will play for the Big Ten regular season championship at 7 p.m. Wednesday against third-place Michigan (8-4-4, 3-2-2 B1G; 11 points) in Columbus. As always, admission is free.
“To be in a position Wednesday night is great, but you have to win the game,” Bluem said. “We will prepare like we’ve done all year long. It should be an exciting night of college soccer.”
The Buckeyes scored the lone goal just before halftime as the only Maryland native on the Ohio State roster was the difference maker vs. the Terrapins.
Yaw Amankwa played a trick on the Maryland keeper in the 43rd minute and was rewarded with a treat when he scored his second goal of the season off the far post. Liam Doyle sent a long service through midfield where Kyle Culbertson headed it over the Maryland backline to find Amankwa with space at the Top of the 18. The native of Demascus, Md., Amankwa sent a nifty chip shot over the head of UMD keeper Cody Niedermeier and off the far post at 42:27 for the OSU score.
“At the beginning of the season, we knew we could do something special and these are the type of games you want to play in,” Amankwa said. “We proved tonight we can play with anyone. My dad actually called me before the game and said to do everything I could to help us win and I gave him an early Christmas present. Tonight was the No. 1 moment in my playing career.”
The Terrapins did not go away quietly as the road squad outshot the Buckeyes, 6-4 in the second half, while both teams had five corners. However, like all year, the OSU defense held strong.
“We knew were going to have a difficult second half but the back four played very well,” Bluem said. “Zach Mason and Abdi Mohamed were the unsung heroes. They never stopped working.”
Maryland had to play with 10 men for the final 17:25 as Sebastien Elney received his second yellow card of the half. The backline did a solid job of managing the remainder of the game and denied any Maryland chances to pick up the huge conference win in front of the home crowd.
Overall, shots were 13-9 in favor of the Terrapins, while both teams had eight corners. Senior goalkeeper Chris Froschauer picked up his Big Ten-best eighth shutout of the year to improve to 10-5-2 with five saves.
MATCH NOTES
- Former Ohio State coach Gary Avedikian, who recently received the 2015 National Soccer Coaches Association of America Honor Award, was recognized at halftime. The Honor Award is the Association’s highest decoration recognizing the career of the coach whose work through the NSCAA has enhanced the soccer coaching profession and contributed to the game as a whole.
- Ohio State will play for the Big Ten title vs. Michigan at 7 p.m. ET Wednesday at JOMS. The Buckeyes currently sit in first place with 13 points followed by Rutgers (12), Michigan (11) and Indiana (10). Rutgers travels to face Maryland, while Indiana plays at Michigan State on Wednesday night.
- The win marked the first victory in school history vs. Maryland and improve to 1-3 all-time.
- Ohio State claims its 100th win at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. The Buckeyes are 100-38-24 since the facility opened in 1999.
- The Buckeyes have won nine of their last 10 matches with six straight wins at home. Ohio State improves to 7-1-1 at home in 2015.
Team Stats
Amankwa, Yaw (2)
Assisted By: Culbertson, Kyle , Doyle, Liam
near side at the 18, far post
42:27
