Ohio State redshirt junior goalie Parker Siegfried (1) kicks the ball downfield in the game against BGSU on Sep. 22. Ohio State won 1- 0. Credit: Jack Westerheide | Managing Editor for Design
The Ohio State Men’s Soccer team finished up its season-opening weekend Sunday afternoon at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium against Hofstra.
The Buckeyes defeated the Pride 1-0 to collect their first win of the season and move to 1-1-0 on the year.
Sunday’s victory was the first win of new head coach Brian Maisonneuve’s career.
“Overall, it was a good performance, and to get a win, the first one, at home is fantastic,” Maisonneuve said.
Redshirt sophomore forward Jake Scheper scored in the 65th minute to put the Buckeyes ahead for good.
“After scoring that goal it was a great feeling, putting our team into position to win,” Scheper said. “We worked hard all game, we battled in the box, C.C. (Uche) never gave up on the play, and for that reason we got a (penalty kick), and I stepped up.”
The onset of the match saw Ohio State take control of the tempo. The Buckeyes threatened early, getting the ball into the box and earning a corner kick as well.
On the other end, redshirt junior goaltender Parker Siegfried made a sprawling save, diving to his left to deny Hofstra in the opening minutes.
The later stages of the first half were controlled by Ohio State. The Buckeyes had a number of quality chances, but could not break through.
Junior midfielder Jack Holland had a golden chance to open the scoring in the 32nd minute, but saw his chip sail over the crossbar.
In the 38th minute, sophomore midfielder Mitch Bergmann nearly put the Buckeyes in front when he dribbled his shot past Hofstra goaltender Alex Ashton but was robbed on the goal line by Pride senior defender Sean Nealis.
In regards to his team’s strong offensive performance today, Maisonneuve said he can see the improvement.
“It’s getting better. I mean, we’re continuing to build,” Maisonneuve said. “You watch, every game, every day, we’re getting better and better, and today I thought was our best performance, against a good Hofstra team in tough conditions.”
Scheper said Ohio State’s mental toughness was the key to the offensive success.
A scary moment came in the second half as Ohio State redshirt freshman forward Devyn Etling collided with a Hofstra player in front of goal, and was attended to by the training staff before walking off under his own power.
Etling headed into the locker room a couple minutes later.
Moments later, Scheper buried one in the bottom left corner off a penalty kick to put Ohio State in the lead. It was both Scheper’s and the Buckeyes’ first goal of the season.
With just under seven minutes to play, the game was placed under a delay due to the threat of lightning in the area.
Following a nearly hour-long delay, the game was called, and the official victory was given to the Buckeyes.
The Buckeyes are back in action on Friday, Aug. 31 when they take on Marshall at 5 p.m.
