Ohio State Plays to a 1-1 Double Overtime Draw vs. No. 13 Penn State – Ohio State Buckeyes

Sunday, September 20

Columbus, Ohio

Ohio State

1-4-2, 0-1-1B1G

Penn State

3-1-2, 1-0-1B1G

Team	1	2	OT 3	OT 4	Final F
Penn State	0	1	0	0	1
Ohio State	1	0	0	0	1

Ohio State Plays to a 1-1 Double Overtime Draw vs. No. 13 Penn State – Ohio State Buckeyes

9/20/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer

Box Score

Sept. 20, 2015

Justin Cook was inducted in the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame this past weekend

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – For the second-consecutive match, the Ohio State men’s soccer team battled its way to a draw against a Top 15 opponent. The Buckeyes played to a 1-1 double overtime draw against No. 13 Penn State Sunday afternoon in their second Big Ten contest of the 2015 season at Bert L. & Iris S. Wolstein Field at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. Ohio State moves to 1-4-2 overall and 0-1-1 in Big Ten play, while the Nittany Lions sit at 3-1-2 and 1-0-1 in conference action.

“It was a very physical game today,” head coach John Bluem said. “I was extremely happy for Kenny. It’s always tough not being able to play during your fourth year and to see him come back and have a pretty successful season so far is great to see. You hate to admit it, but we had to be satisfied with a draw today after being a man down. We dropped people deeper and I thought our nine field players defended with everything they had today.”

In a match that saw a combined 46 fouls, seven yellows cards and one ejection, Ohio State took a season-high 23 shots, including eight of which were on goal. Kenny Cunningham scored the lone goal of the match, collecting the first goal of his fifth-year season after missing the 2014 campaign due to injury. Freshman Abdi Mohamed created the scoring chance when he dribbled through three PSU defenders down the right side and sent a near cross to Cunningham, who finished with a shot that deflected off the right post and into goal at 16:10.

“It was one of those tough conference games and I thought we had a good showing for our fans today,” Cunningham said. “A lot of Big Ten games are really physical and we battled well. I just made a near post run and Abdi played a great ball into me. It was an amazing feeling to hear the crowd again after scoring a goal.”

Mohamed, who scored his first collegiate goal last time out at Akron, also made a game-saving clearance on the goal line in the first overtime period during the 95th minute. The native of Worthington, Ohio, collects his first assist of his OSU career.

“I kept making my run and I was able to find Kenny up front,” Mohamed said. “I love playing in tough conference games like this and we need to continue show up every day and finish off all our chances. I’m really happy for Kenny and the goal today.”

Penn State notched 18 shots, including four on goal, while goalkeeper Matt Bersano made seven saves in the contest. The Buckeyes also held a 7-4 lead in corner kicks. Senior goalkeeper Chris Froschauer made two saves vs. the Nittany Lions.

The Nittany Lions found the equalizer in the 57th minute when Sam Bollinger scored off a rebound to tie the contest at 1-all. The Buckeyes had an opportunity to take the lead on back-to-back shots in the 71st minute, but couldn’t convert. Danny Jensen took a hard shot that was blocked in the final 20 minutes of regulation, but neither team could find the back of the net. The Buckeyes were forced to play a man down for the final 24 minutes of action following a second yellow card given to Jensen at 85:54. However, the Scarlet and Gray brought the energy on both ends of the field to conclude the match with a 1-1 draw.

Yaw Amankwa had the team’s final chance in the 109th minute, but his shot was saved by Bersano from the far post.

The Buckeyes are back in action Friday, Sept. 25 when they play Dayton at 7 p.m. ET at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.

OTHER NOTES

Ohio State held its annual Kids Kicking Cancer Clinic before the match vs. the Nittany Lions. Approximately 30 children participated, working on their soccer skills with the Buckeyes. 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 honored Hall of Fame inductee Justin Cook before the match against Penn State, while former members of the program were also recognized at halftime as part of Alumni Day in Columbus.

PHOTO: Buckeyes held their Kids Kicking Cancer Event last weekend. Team had a great time! #GoBucks #BuckeyesCare pic.twitter.com/F7hcbCcStR

— OhioStateMen'sSoccer (@OhioState_MSOC) September 22, 2015