The No. 16 Ohio State men's soccer team (5-2-1, 0-0 Big Ten) tied the Kentucky Wildcats (3-2-3, 0-0 Southeastern Conference) 1-1 in double-overtime at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium Sunday.
"Kentucky is a legitimate program ... with very good tradition the last 10 years," OSU coach John Bluem said. "Their coaches have done a great job with their program."
Kentucky got off to a fast start as junior midfielder Nathan Li scored his first collegiate goal nine minutes into the game to give the Wildcats a 1-0 lead.
The Buckeyes battled back when sophomore defender Eric Brunner scored the tying goal in the 65th minute of regulation. Brunner's second goal of the season came on an assist by freshman midfielder Danny Irizarry.
Brunner received Big Ten Men's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week honors and was also named to the College Soccer News National Team of the Week last week before scoring the goal this weekend. Bluem said he has been very pleased with Brunner's athletic skills and play as of late.
"He's got great skill. He's got great soccer sense, and he's a tremendous competitor," Bluem said. "Not only does he have a great defensive effort, but he contributes to the attack as well."
The Buckeyes played without two of their starters Sunday. Junior midfielder Taylor Korpieski and sophomore forward Xavier Balc were both forced to sit out of Sunday's match after they were disqualified during OSU's 3-2 double-overtime loss to Bowling Green on Friday.
The Buckeyes nearly took the lead with five-and-a-half minutes to play after OSU junior midfielder Antonio Garcia was tackled by a Wildcat player. The play resulted in a yellow card and a direct kick. Senior defender Kyle Veris fired a shot that was blocked, and junior midfielder Brent Rohrer shot a follow-up that was just high of the goal.
Buckeye senior goalkeeper Ray Burse Jr. recorded one save in the first half before turning the net over to sophomore Casey Latchem. Latchem finished the game with one save during a scoreless second half and two overtimes.
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