Ohio State men lose to Florida Gulf Coast

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Despite several attempts down the stretch, the ninth-ranked Ohio State men’s soccer team was edged by Florida Gulf Coast, 1-0, at the FGCU Embassy Suites Kick-off Classic Saturday night in Fort Myers, Fla., in front of a record crowd of 1,322. The Buckeyes fall to 4-2-0 on the season after playing in their first true away game of the 2010 campaign, while the Eagles improve to 3-2-2 overall.

 

“It was a very tough environment here tonight,” head coach John Bluem said after the match. “They had a great crowd and their team was definitely up for the game. I thought their commitment to play hard was unbelievable and tough to match; they scored a good goal and we simply couldn’t respond despite a flurry of shots late in the game. Hat’s off to Florida Gulf Coast.”

 

Ohio State rallied late, posting four-consecutive shots over the last seven minutes, but the Eagles’ goalkeeper Adam Glick made a pair of saves to stave off the equalizer and end the night with four stops. His teammate Ryan Price netted the game-winner in the 64th minute off a header into the lower right corner following a pass from Donovan Henry into the middle of the box.

 

The goal ignited a 7-1 shooting barrage by the Buckeyes, who ended the night down 13-12 on the shot chart. Sam Scales was among the offensive leaders, tallying a team-high three shots, including one midway through the 84th minute that hit the post and stood as one of the best opportunities of the match. Konrad Warzycha took the final shot of the match at the 88:27 mark, giving Glick his last save and a chance to wind down the remaining time.

 

Matt Lampson made five saves in goal to limit the damage to one goal. The Buckeyes – and Lampson – remain atop the Big Ten in goals-against average with 0.67 after allowing four this season.

 

Ohio State returns to action at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Louisville in the fifth of six-consecutive road games. The 12th-ranked Cardinals are undefeated with a 4-0-1 record and are on a four-game winning streak after defeating Missouri State, 2-1, Saturday evening.