Ohio State men beat Oakland

COLUMBUS, Ohio – With goals from Konrad Warzycha and Chris Hegngi, the Ohio State men’s soccer team returned to its winning ways with a 2-0 victory over Oakland Wednesday night at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. The Buckeyes improve to 8-5-2 on the season, 5-0-1 on their home field, while the Grizzlies drop to 4-9-2 overall.

 

“I hope that we can build from this game,” head coach JohnBluem said. “It wasn’t our best performance of the year, but the second half early goal took a lot of the pressure off and made it easier for us.”

 

Warzycha’s tally in the first half was his team-leading sixth of the season and fourth game-winner. He converted on the opportunity with the help of fellow senior captain Sam Scales, who earned his 14th career assist to move into a tie for eighth place in the all-time record books.

 

The score came off a header by Warzycha following a corner by Scales early in the 18th minute to mark the Buckeyes’ second-consecutive goal off a set piece. It also gave them the lead heading into halftime, a feat that has led to a 5-0-0 record this season.

 

Hegngi quickly added to the lead, however, with his third goal of the season just 21 seconds into the second period. Fellow sophomore Austin McAnena played a through ball up to the forward from Silver Spring, Md., who chipped it into the far right side of the net for the 2-0 lead.

 

Oakland countered with a handful of opportunities, postiing five shots in the second half, but Matt Lampson made a pair of crucial saves in goal and junior defender David Tiemstra earned a team save for making a stop on the line in the 70th minute.

 

Lampson and the Buckeyes earned their conferece-leading seventh shutout of the season, as the sophomore goalkeeper’s goals-against average dropped to 0.77, also a Big Ten best.

 

The Buckeyes ended the night with a narrow 14-12 lead in shots and 5-3 margin in corner kicks. This is the fifth time this season Ohio State has scored two goals and the second time it has won by a two-goal margin after defeating Buffalo, 2-0, in the opening weekend of action Sept. 5.

 

“The win is definitely a good confidence builder for us, but we’re not looking to get overconfident,” Hegngi said. “We want to remain focus and prepare for Sunday.”

 

The Buckeyes return to action at 2 p.m. Sunday vs. Wisconsin as part of “Halloween at Jesse.”  Fans, both young and old(er), are encouraged to wear costumes for the match, which will be broadcasted by the Big Ten Network on same-day delay beginning at 7 p.m. with Neil Sika and Chris Doran calling the action. Prizes will be awarded for the best costumes.