OSU senior midfielder Zach Mason (7) prepares to kick the ball during a game against Penn State on Sept. 20 at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. OSU tied 1-1. Credit: Ed Momot

OSU senior midfielder Zach Mason (7) prepares to kick the ball during a game against Penn State on Sept. 20 at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. OSU tied 1-1. Credit: Ed Momot

The Ohio State men’s soccer team earned its second victory of the 2015 regular season against Dayton in front of a home crowd on Friday night.

The Buckeyes came out of the gates firing shots immediately at the Flyers.

OSU earned the first corner kick of the half in the seventh minute, but OSU senior defender and co-captain Liam Doyle’s shot was cleared away.

Following Doyle’s kick, a header by senior midfielder Kyle Culbertson went high over the bar.

In the 15th minute, OSU junior forward Yaw Amankwa dribbled in but his shot was blocked. Freshman midfielder Abdi Mohamed followed up Amankwa’s shot with a 25-yard kick, but barely missed the near post.

The battle between both squads then became extremely physical.

A yellow card was issued against Dayton junior goalkeeper Justin Saliba after he committed a hard foul against OSU junior forward Christian Soldat in the 21st minute. Doyle attempted the subsequent penalty kick for the Buckeyes, but Saliba blocked his shot. Soldat popped out with the rebound, but his shot flew high above the net.

In the 30th minute, Amankwa sent a pass to Mohamed for a good look at the net, but Mohamed’s shot hit right off the crossbar.

With one minute left in the first half, Amankwa headed in a loose ball in front of the goal, giving the Scarlet and Gray a one-point lead over the Flyers. Amankwa’s shot was his first career goal as a Buckeye.

“Being in the right position at the right time, I was fortunate enough to be there and score a goal,” Amankwa said.

OSU led Dayton 1-0 at the end of the first half.

The Buckeyes came out in the second half looking to add some insurance, and got it when Soldat knocked in his first goal of the year with an assist by Culbertson in the 67th minute, increasing OSU’s lead to 2-0.

“I know I’m a small guy so I’m not going to be the one getting up and challenging for it,” Soldat said. “Kyle’s pretty consistent with his throwing, so I just try and get it right where I think it’s going to drop and hopefully get a tap in.”

As frustration arose among the Flyers, yellow cards were issued to Dayton, allowing the Buckeyes to earn a free kick in the 72nd minute. Doyle’s 35-yard kick was missed, keeping the score at 2-0.

The Flyers continued to try and tally their first goal, as they fired a shot in the 77th minute, but OSU redshirt senior goalkeeper Chris Froschauer, who played his first three collegiate seasons at Dayton prior to transferring OSU, came across with the diving save.

The Buckeyes managed to keep the Flyers off the board for the remainder of the game, sealing the home victory.

Amankwa and Soldat made huge impacts for the team in Friday’s game.

“We learned tonight that Yaw is a great center-forward,” OSU coach John Bluem said. “He is strong, physically, and is difficult to deal with.”

Bluem also expressed how much the team missed Soldat after he went down in the game against Navy because of an ankle injury. Bleum said the team struggled without Soldat because of his absence.

“He is a very smart attacking player that opens up a lot of space for other players because of his runs,” Bluem said about Soldat.

OSU improves to 2-4-2 overall, while the Flyers fall to 5-4-1.

The Buckeyes are scheduled to return to Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium on Tuesday to take on Louisville at 7 p.m.