COLUMBUS, Ohio – When the 2021 fall season gets under Friday, the Ohio State men’s soccer team will have three players in the lineup tabbed as Big Ten Players to Watch.
After successful sophomore campaigns, Deylen Vellios and Laurence Wootton were recognized by league coaches along with senior Xavier Green.
Wootton, a midfielder from Halstead, England, was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year following the 2021 spring season while also making the Big Ten All-Freshman squad.
Vellios, a defender from Vancouver, played significant minutes in nine games as a freshman.
Green, a midfielder from Kapiti Coast, New Zealand, has appeared in 43 games as a Buckeye, including all 10 earlier this year.
The Buckeyes open with Memphis at 7 p.m. Friday in the annual Wolstein Classic at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.
All 12 players with points from the spring season return for Brian Maisonneuve’s fourth season in Columbus as head coach. Parker Grinstead, who also made the Big Ten All-Freshman squad in the spring, led with eight points (3 goals/2 assists) followed by Wootton (4 pts./1/2).
