COLUMBUS, Ohio – Konrad Warzycha and Austin McAnena  each scored for the No. 11-ranked Ohio State men’s soccer team as it defeated Bucknell, 2-1, Sunday afternoon at the Penn State Classic in University Park, Pa. With the win, the Buckeyes start the season 4-0-0 for the first time since the 1986 season (5-0-0) and mark their fourth-consecutive season without a loss through the first two weekends.

 

The Bison are now 2-2-0 on the season.

 

Though Binghamton and Penn State are still currently on the pitch in the tourney finale, Ohio State captured the Penn State Classic title and placed four on the all-tournament team as the only squad to win both of its contests. Warzycha was named the Most Valuable Player, while McAnena, Matt Gold and David Tiemstra each earned a spot on the all-tournament team.

 

“We played pretty well today,” head coach John Bluem said after the game. “We got a nice goal from Konrad early on and were able to hang on. The team is very pleased to go through first two weekends with, not only four wins, but also only allowing one goal. I don’t think we are playing our best soccer yet, but I am certainly happy with results.”

 

Early in the 17th minute of action, Warzycha took a free kick from about 28 yards out following a Bucknell foul and caught the Bison ‘keeper off his line. The shot, which was the first of the game for either side, deflected off a defender and between the pipes before Tommy Caso could react. Warzycha, a senior midfielder from Dublin, Ohio, extended his team-leading goal total to four with the score, doubling his total from last season.

 

With the score 1-0, neither team commanded complete control of the remaining minutes of the half. Freshman Omar Vallejo got a pair of shots off, while junior Joshua Breto added another, but the Bison matched the Buckeyes with four of their own fruitless attempts and the teams headed into halftime with Ohio State in the lead.

 

Vallejo started up the second half with a shot that went high just 38 seconds into the period, but it was Bucknell that controlled its offensive half for the bulk of the next 15 minutes. The Bison posted one shot, stopped by sophomore goalkeeper Matt Lampson, and three-consecutive corner kicks before another shot and a return to possession for the Buckeyes.

 

From there, Ohio State continued to push forward and its efforts were rewarded midway through the 77th minute when Gold found McAnena on a breakaway near the top of the six-yard box. McAnena converted on the pass at the 76:31 mark to match the Buckeyes’ largest lead of the 2010 season.

 

The two-goal advantage was short-lived, however, as a flurry of substitutions left both sides unbalanced and Bucknell quickly capitalized on the opportunity. The Bison cut it in half less than a minute later when Brendan Burgdorf collected a long-entry pass from Luke Joyner and put the shot away from five yards out for the first goal allowed by the Buckeyes and Lampson of the 2010 season.

 

Bucknell continued to push forward, but a stingy OSU defense kept it from netted the equalizer, despite three successive corners starting in the 79th minute.

 

The Buckeyes have a shorter than usual turnaround for the early season as they continue their six-game road swing at the FGCU Embassy Suites Kick-off Classic beginning Thursday, Sept. 16 in Fort Myers, Fla. They will face USF at 5 p.m. Thursday before closing out the tournament against host Florida Gulf Coast at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Both opposing teams are receiving votes in the NSCAA poll this week.

 

“We are definitely looking forward to next weekend,” Bluem said of the upcoming matches. “The challenge will certainly be difficult – to travel so far and to play two very quality opponents in South Florida and Florida Gulf Coast.”