Senior defender Deylin Vellios (12) runs down a ball during Ohio State’s 0-0 draw with Michigan Oct. 6.
Credit: Lance Haupricht | Lantern Reporter
With time running out, the Buckeyes were down 2-0 in the second half, and their scoring chances seemed slim.
That is until freshman midfielder Andre Roberts and senior midfielder Laurence Wootton each scored a goal apiece in the final 10 minutes to draw against Louisville.
The Ohio State men’s soccer team (3-4-5,1-2-1 Big Ten) was up against a tough Cardinals (7-3-2, 1-3-1 ACC) defense for most of the game.
The Cardinals (7-3-2) scored two goals in the first 65 minutes, from redshirt-senior forward Brandon McManus and sophomore forward Konstantinos Georgallides, with both coming in separate halves.
The first half started with an early shot attempt by Wootton that was saved by Cardinals redshirt-freshman goalkeeper Alex Svetanoff at the 3:24 minute.
The Cardinals answered with a shot at 17:15 from McManus to give them a 1-0 lead. The goal was assisted by Georgallides and Svetanoff.
The remainder of the first half consisted of both defenses limiting the amount of shots with the Buckeyes having three attempts to the Cardinals’ two. Ohio State had one shot on goal to Louisville’s two on-target shots.
The second half gave way to more shots by both teams with the Cardinals having 13 total shot attempts to the Buckeyes’ 10.
Louisville capitalized first on its shot attempts with a penalty shot in the box by Georgallides at 69:29 to give it a 2-0 lead. The penalty came from a foul by senior midfielder Brayden Durbin in the box.
Entering the last 10 minutes, the Buckeyes got on the board from Robert’s goal that was crossed by Buckeye sophomore midfielder Marko Borkovic and tipped off sophomore forward Tanner Creech’s foot, allowing Roberts to get off a shot to make it a 2-1 match.
This was Roberts’ first collegiate goal after playing in 11 previous games.
At 85:39, the Buckeyes found the equalizer off a header in the box by Wootton that was assisted by Borkovic and redshirt-senior defender Owen Sullivan. This is Borkovic’s fourth assist of the season as he leads the team in total assists.
Both teams’ defenses contained each other after the Buckeyes’ quick two goals, resulting in a draw.
Ohio State looks to snap its three-game draw streak on the road against Indiana Sunday at noon.
