No. 3 Ohio State Hosts Rutgers, Washington

Friday, September 18

Columbus, Ohio

7 p.m.

Ohio State

Rutgers University

Photo by: Ohio State Athletics

No. 3 Ohio State Hosts Rutgers, Washington

9/16/2026 9:59:00 AM | Men's Soccer

Buckeyes face Scarlet Knights Friday, Huskies Monday

No. 3 Ohio State vs. Rutgers, Washington
Dates: Sept. 18/21, 2026
Time: 7 p.m. (ET), both matches
Venue: Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium (4,518)
Watch: B1G+ (Rutgers), BTN (Washington)
Live Stats: Sidearm
Rosters: Ohio State | Rutgers | Washington
Season Stats: Ohio State | Rutgers | Washington | Big Ten | NCAA
Match Themes: Rutgers: Connor Senn Match/First Responders Appreciation; Washington: Our Honor Defend - Military Appreciation

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- No. 3 Ohio State (5-0-1, 0-0-1) hosts Rutgers (3-3-1, 1-0-0) at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium Friday (7 p.m./B1G+) in the home Big Ten opener for the Buckeyes. Ohio State will then welcome Washington Sept. 21 for a 7 p.m. (BTN) against the Huskies.

Ohio State enters the contest against Rutgers with 19 goals in six matches (3.17 per game) while allowing just two. Forward Isaiah Chisolm leads OSU's high-octane offense with seven goals, complemented by playmaker Josue Youta (1G, 3A) and goalkeeper Patrick McLaughlin, who holds a 0.33 GAA with four clean sheets. Ohio State looks to maintain its unblemished overall record following a 1-all draw at Wisconsin in its conference opener.

Rutgers travels to Columbus after back-to-back victories over UCLA (3-1) and Princeton (2-0). The Scarlet Knights' offense relies on a balanced effort led by William Pierce (2G, 1A), Nick Collins (2G), and primary playmaker Amer Lukovic (3A). Meanwhile, goalkeeper Rafael Ponce De Leon (22 saves, 0.86 GAA) anchors the defensive unit that has allowed under a goal per game.

The Washington Huskies enter the weekend (at No. 2 Indiana Friday) with some offensive momentum. Through seven games, the Huskies are 4-2-1 overall (1-0-0 in conference play), having netted 22 goals while averaging 3.14 goals per contest. Washington's attack boasts 19.9 shots per game and while earning 67 corner kicks with just 22 allowed.

Senior forward Zach Ramsey leads the Huskies' high-octane attack with 11 goals, two assists and 24 total points. Ramsey has converted all three of his penalty kick attempts and remains the centerpiece of Washington's offensive efficiency. Supporting Ramsey are Alex Hall (2 goals, 4 assists) and Egor Akulov (2 goals, 1 assist), giving the Huskies depth across the front line.

Defensively, goalkeeper Stockton Short has played the majority of minutes, logging 14 saves and holding a 4-2-1 record. While the Huskies have allowed 12 goals on the season (1.71 per game), their ability to strike early—scoring 14 of their 22 goals in the first half—allows them to control the match tempo.

Ohio State Nationally
2    Shots per game            22.17
2    Team Goals Against    .333
T-4 Shutout Pct.                .667
5 Goal Differential         +17
5    Shots on Goal              9.40
5    Scoring Offense           3.17

Follow live stats by going to the men's soccer schedule page at OhioStateBuckeyes.com/live stats.
"Play Like Connor Today" is an Ohio State men's soccer manta in memory of Connor Senn, a freshman defender who died as a result of a congenital heart defect after he collapsed during the second half of a match at Akron Sept. 26, 2001.
The match against the Scarlet Knights is being recognized as the annual Connor Senn match, it also is designated as First Responders Appreciation night in Columbus. The Washington match is Military Appreciation in Columbus.
Ohio State was road tested for the first time last week at Kentucky (W, 4-1) and at No. 8 Wisconsin (T, 1-1).
The Buckeyes have scored four or more goals in two of the last three games and have done so three times season season.
Before facing the Wildcats, Ohio State moved to the No. 3 spot in the United Soccer Coaches Poll, its highest ranking since starting the 2025 season at No. 3 in the USC preseason poll.
Elijah Bishop was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week Sept. 8 after helping the Buckeyes to a 5-0 win over Northern Kentucky. The Norse managed just four shots in the match.
As the No. 3 team nationally, it marks the highest ranking for the Buckeyes against Rutgers in the series history. Ohio State was ranked No. 1 in a match during the 2024 Big Ten Tournament when it defeated No. 19 Washington 3-1 (11/10/24).
The Buckeyes opened the ninth edition of Brian Maisonneuve's tenure in Columbus in the first of four-consecutive home contests, all wins by shutout, against Virginia Tech (Aug. 20/W, 1-0) at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.
Against the Hokies, newcomer Isaiah Chisolm, a transfer from Kentucky, scored the match winner in the 58'. He scored on a header from a corner kick delivered by freshman Jack Wayne.
Ohio State then battled DePaul (W, 6-0) and Memphis (W, 2-0) during Wolstein Week (924-28/26). Northern Kentucky ended (W, 5-0) the season-opening homestand.
Chisolm recorded a hat trick in the most recent home win over NKU. It was the first three-goal game for a Buckeye since Danny Jensen did so in a 4-1 home win over Valparaiso (9/21/16) .
The four shutouts to open a season is an Ohio State record. The last time Ohio State opened the season with three-consecutive shutouts was in 2010 when the Buckeyes defeated Charleston (1-0) and Buffalo (2-0) in the Wolstein Classic in Columbus before a 1-0 win over Binghampton (1-0) at the Penn State Challenge.
In 2022, the Buckeyes posted four-consecutive shutouts after opening the season with a draw (1-1) against South Carolina. Ohio State then posted victories over Cal Poly (3-0), at Bowling Green (1-0), Wright State (2-0) and Butler (2-2).
The last Ohio State team to start 5-0 was the 1986 team with a 5-0 start. The 1977 sqaud opened the year 7-0.
Against Rutgers, Ohio State is 8-5-1 all-time in the series. Against the Huskies, the Buckeyes are 2-2-1.
Defender Martin Wurschmidt was recognized by the Big Ten with the Defensive Player of the Week award after the two Ohio State shutouts to open the season. He also added the game-winning goal against DePaul on a free kick in the first half.
The season-opening wins also helped the Buckeyes move into the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 at the No. 22 spot (Aug. 25). Ohio State moved to No. 4 (Sept. 1) and to No. 3 this week. The Buckeyes opened the 2025 season ranked No. 3 after advancing to the 2024 College Cup and ending that year in the No. 3 spot.
Ohio State earned win No. 150 all-time at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium with the victory over DePaul. The Buckeyes are 152-75-41 at the facility since it opened in 1999.
As a team, the 2025 Buckeyes earned a United Soccer Coaches College Team Academic Award after posting a team grade-point average of 3.31.
Hurge, a sophomore, was a member of the 2025 All-Big Ten Freshman Team, is one of 13 returners from a year ago. He is the top returning goal scorer (2) with 16 appearances and seven starts to his credit entering 2026.
Wurschmidt was named to the 2026 United Soccer Coaches MAC Hermann Trophy Positional Players to Watch List prior to the season. Wurschmidt, a junior defender who played last season at Evansville, made the defenders watch list. He also was named to TopDrawerSoccer's Preseason Top 100 list.
Following a team vote, seniors Andre Roberts and Patrick McLaughlin were named team captains for the 2026 season.
Roberts, along with newcomers Wurschmidt and Chisolm, were named as Ohio State representatives on the Big Ten's 2026 Players to Watch list.
The Buckeyes have claimed the Big Ten regular-season championship five times (2000-07-09-15-24). Ohio State owns four Big Ten Tournament crowns (2000-07-09-24).
The annual Wolstein Classic changed formats for the 2026 season. Ohio State faced DePaul (Aug. 24, W, 6-0) and took on Memphis (Aug. 28, W, 2-0) during Wolstein Week in Columbus this year.
Brian Maisonneuve and his coaching staff added several newcomers in 2026 with a combination of incoming freshmen and transfers. The freshman class includes midfielder Ryan Sullivan, forwards Bryce Ince-Lovelace and Sam Trivisonno, midfielders Mathew Samways and Jack Wayne along with keepers Dylan Arrison and Slade Hall.
Through the transfer portal, the Buckeyes added junior midfielder Victor Labite (Fairleigh Dickinson), junior defender Martin Wurschmidt (Evansville), junior defender Ryan Townhill (San Diego Surg Soccer ECNL), senior forward Isaiah Chisolm (Kentucky), senior midfielder Ryan Hannosh (Butler), graduate defender Christian Baumgartner (DePaul) and graduate defender Elijah Bishop (Central Arkansas). Josué Youta, who played junior college soccer at Daytona State College, also was added as a senior forward.
In games played at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium since it opened in 1999, Ohio State is 152-75-41.