No. 1 Seed Buckeyes Set to Host B1G Tournament This Weekend – Ohio State Buckeyes
11/6/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Nov. 6, 2015
RELATED INFO
- Follow the Buckeyes on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
- Parking Info – Nov. 7-9
- Tournament Central
- Play-In Game: Live Stats | BTN Plus ($)
- Quarterfinal: Live Stats | BTN2Go
- B1G Tournament Bracket
- PDF: Ohio State Notes
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Fresh off its fourth Big Ten title in school history, the No. 18 Ohio State men’s soccer team is set to host a quarterfinal match of the 2015 Big Ten Tournament at 4 p.m. ET Sunday live on BTN in Columbus. The No. 1 seed Buckeyes (11-5-2, 5-2-1) will face the winner between No. 8 seed Michigan State (8-8-2, 2-4-2) and No. 9 seed Penn State (6-7-3, 2-4-2), who square off in the play-in game at 1 p.m. ET Saturday at Bert L. & Iris S. Wolstein Field. Admission is free for both matches.
WAYS TO FOLLOW
Links to live stats and video streams can be found on the Big Ten Tournament Central page on bigten.org and on the Ohio State men’s soccer calendar page on OhioStaetBuckeyes.com. The play-in game will be streamed on BTN Plus ($), while the quarterfinal match will be broadcasted live on BTN. Fans can also watch the quarterfinal on their devices using the BTN2Go app. Updates will also be available on the men’s soccer twitter page @OhioState_MSOC.
PARKING INFO
Due to the Ohio State-Minnesota football game on Saturday and Ohio State men’s basketball exhibition on Sunday, fans will need to pay to park in the lots located around Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. Click here for more parking info for both days.
BIG TEN TOURNAMENT FORMAT
The Top 4 seeds are set to host a Big Ten quarterfinal match at their home facilities on Sunday. Ohio State claimed the conference championship and received the No. 1 seed and will face the winner of the play-in game between No. 8 Michigan State/No. 9 Penn State. The tournament champion will earn the Big Ten’s automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament. Last season, Maryland won the Big Ten Tournament title.
Indiana claimed the No. 2 seed after concluding the Big Ten season with a 4-3-1 conference record. The Hoosiers will host No. 7 Wisconsin in Sunday’s quarterfinals. Maryland earned the No. 3 seed in the Big Ten Tournament and will host No. 6 Michigan on Sunday in the quarterfinals. Rutgers garnered the No. 4 seed in the Big Ten Tournament after posting a 4-4-0 conference record and will entertain No. 5 Northwestern in Sunday’s quarterfinals.
The second weekend for tournament, featuring the semifinals (Nov. 13) and championship matches (Nov. 16) will be played at the site of the highest remaining seed.
BUCKEYES IN THE BIG TEN TOURNAMENT
- Ohio State has three previous tournament titles to its credit, taking home the trophy in 2000, 2007 and 2009.
- In 23 appearances, the Buckeyes are 16-19-2 for the fourth -best winning percentage in the league.
- Last year, Ohio State advanced to the semifinals before falling to Indiana, 2-1, in College Park, Md.
- This is the second time in school history the Buckeyes are the No. 1 seed and first since 2009.
DID YOU KNOW?
With one more victory in Columbus, the Buckeyes would break the single-season stadium record for home wins. Ohio State holds an 8-1-1 mark at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium in 2015.
BUCKEYES IN A NUTSHELL
- Ohio State (11-5-2, 5-2-1 B1G) claimed its fourth Big Ten title last time out in a 3-1 over Michigan Nov. 4 on Senior Night.
- The Buckeyes have won 10 of their last 11 matches after starting the year 1-4 overall.
- Ohio State holds an 8-1-1 record at home and has won seven-consecutive home matches.
- The Buckeyes are ranked No. 15 in the latest NCAA RPI (Nov. 2), which is the highest in the Big Ten.
- Ohio State is ranked in three national polls, including No. 18 by the NSCAA.
- The OSU defense has allowed just four goals in the past 11 matches.
- Chris Froschauer was named Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year, while Liam Doyle was honored as Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. In all, six Buckeyes were honored with Big Ten postseason awards.
- Joining Froschauer and Doyle on the first team was Kyle Culbertson, while Danny Jensen was named to the second team list. Abdi Mohamed was named to the All-Freshmen team.
- Culbertson leads the team with 15 points (5g, 5a) followed by Danny Jensen with 13 points (4g, 5a) and Liam Doyle with 10 points (2g, 6a).
- Senior captain Zach Mason was named a Senior CLASS Award FINALIST. Last year, goalkeeper Alex Ivanov won the prestigious national award.
BUCKEYES TAKE HOME BIG TEN POSTSEASON AWARDS
Senior Chris Froschauer was named Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year, while classmate Liam Doyle was honored as Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year as five members on the No. 18 Ohio State men’s soccer team were recognized as All-Big Ten selections, the conference office announced Friday.
Froschauer, a native of Union, Ky., becomes the first Buckeye in school history to be named the league’s top goalkeeper, while Doyle, from Isle of Man, U.K, is the third Buckeye to be named the top defender in the conference and first since the 2009 campaign. Joining Froschauer and Doyle on the first team list is senior Kyle Culbertson, while junior Danny Jensen was named to the second team. Abdi Mohamed was named to the All-Freshmen Team. Christian Soldat was named the team’s Big Ten Sportsmanship award winner.
#VOTE4MASON
Fans can vote for finalist Zach Mason for the Senior CLASS Award by logging onto www.seniorclassaward.com. Fans can vote on the page through midnight CT on the final day of voting, November 23rd. The winners will be announced during the 2015 NCAA Men’s and Women’s College Cup® championships in December.
LAST TIME OUT
In-front of a crowd of 3,448 fans, the Buckeyes claimed the Big Ten regular season championship with a 3-1 win over Michigan on Wednesday in Columbus on Senior Night. Senior Kyle Culbertson scored a pair of goals, while classmate Zach Mason scored his first career goal in his 77th career start in the big home win. The OSU defense held the Wolverines to just four shots on goal. It marked the second-largest men’s soccer crowd at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.
HOME COOKING
Ohio State holds a 101-38-24 record in the Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium since the facility opened in 1999. The Buckeyes are 8-1-1 in Columbus and are unbeaten in their last eight matches, including seven straight wins. A ninth home victory would break the single-season stadium record set during the 2007 campaign. The Buckeyes won 14-consecutive games from Oct. 2, 2007 to Oct. 26, 2008.
TENACIOUS D
The Buckeyes have allowed just 15 goals in 18 games this year and hold a team 0.79 GAA, a mark that stands third in the conference. Anchored by Liam Doyle and Tyler Kidwell in the middle with Hunter Robertson and Austin Bergstrom on the flanks, the defense has posted eight shutouts and forced opponents into a .357 shot on goal percentage this season. Ohio State has limited its opponents to five shot on goals or less in five out of the last six matches.
WIN NO. 100 AT JESSE OWENS MEMORIAL
Yaw Amankwa scored a fantastic chip-shot goal in the 43rd minute, while goalkeeper Chris Froschauer notched five saves to help the Buckeyes take down Maryland, 1-0, Oct. 31 in Columbus. The win marked the first victory in school history over the Terrapins and was also the 100th win at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.
A LOOK AT THE NITTANY LIONS
Penn State travels to Columbus with a 6-7-3 mark and a 2-4-2 record in conference play. Connor Maloney leads the team with 15 points (7g, 1a) followed by Brian James with 7 points (2g, 3a). Goalkeeper Matt Bersano is 5-6-2 with a 1.19 goals-against average and .724 save percentage, while collecting five shutouts in 2015.
SERIES HISTORY AGAINST PENN STATE
- This will be the 33rd meeting between Ohio State and Penn State. The Nittany Lions lead the all-time series vs. the Buckeyes, 17-12-3. However, Ohio State holds a 5-4-2 mark in the last 12 meetings.
- The Buckeyes played to a 1-1 double overtime draw vs. the Nittany Lions Sept. 20.
- Ohio State holds a 4-1-1 mark in its last six home appearances against Penn State.
A LOOK AT THE SPARTANS
Michigan State arrives in Columbus with an 8-8-2 overall record and a 2-4-2 in the conference. In their last ten matches, Michigan State is 4-5-1 with a 3-2 record at home and a 2-3-1 record on the road. The team is led by Ryan Sierakowski who has 15 points (6g, 3a) followed by Jason Stacy with 9 points (2g, 5a). Goalkeeper Zach Bennet is 8-8-2 with a 1.17 goals-against average and a .727 save percentage.
SERIES HISTORY AGAINST MICHIGAN STATE
- This will be the 46th match between the two teams. Michigan State leads the series 23-19-3.
- The Buckeyes are 3-2-1 in their last 6 matches vs. the Spartans. Ohio State has a 3-2 record in their last five home matches against Michigan State.
- Ohio State defeated the Spartans, 2-1, in East Lansing Oct. 4. Danny Jensen and Marcus McCrary both had goals.
THE COACHING STAFF
Ohio State is under the direction of 19th-year head coach John Bluem. The 2014 Big Ten Coach of the Year, Bluem has guided the team to nine NCAA Tournament appearances (2000-01-04-05-07-08-09-10-14), four Big Ten championships (2000-07-09) and a College Cup Final in 2007. Bluem’s career record sits at 277-166-67 (.610) and has claimed four conference coach of the year awards (most by an active B1G coach).
Associate head coach Frank Speth is in his 17th year with the Scarlet and Gray, while Ian Gordona enters his second season as an assistant coach with the Buckeyes. Former Buckeye standout Matt Lampson will also be a volunteer assistant coach in his second year back with the program.
