No. 1 Ohio State Advances to NCAA 3rd Rnd. With 2-1 Win

COLUMBUS, Ohio — No. 1 seed Ohio State (15-1-3) rallied for a 2-1 win over Western Michigan (12-3-6) Sunday in the second round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.
 
Ohio State advances and will take on the winner of the Stanford vs. UC Santa Barbara (8 p.m./Sunday) at 5 p.m. Dec. 1 at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium in the third round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament.  
 
Ohio State is 2-1-2 all-time in the series with Western Michigan.
 
Ohio State has played eight teams this season that qualified for the 2024 NCAA Tournament and posted an 8-1-1 record in 10 matches: SIUE (1-0), UCLA (0-1), Maryland (1-0), Michigan (2-0), Washington (2-0), Akron (1-0), Indiana (0-0-1), Western Michigan (1-0).
 
In the 10 games vs the teams Ohio State faced that made the NCAA Tournament this year, Michael Adedokun leads the Buckeyes with 15 points with five goals and five assists. David Wrona and Parker Grinstead each have been credited with two match-wining scores. Keeper Max Trejo is 5-0 while Patrick McLaughlin posted a 3-1-1 record.
 
In the 10 games, Ohio State has scored 25 goals while allowing 10.  
 
Ohio State continues in the NCAA tournament with a wealth of experience. Nine rostered players have played 50 or more matches over their careers to date. Michael Adedokun (64), Thomas Gilej (61), Parker Grinstead (81), Luciano Pechota (57), Anthony Samways (70), Deylen Vellios (76), Tommaso Villa (53), David Wrona (83) and Ashton Bilow (50) all are seasoned veterans.
 
The 15 wins this season are the second-most in program history behind the 2007 team that finished 17-4-5 after making it to the College Cup finals.
 
Ohio State last appeared in the NCAA tournament in 2022. The Buckeyes won at Wake Forest (3-0) before UNC Greensboro advanced on PKs (6-5) after a double-overtime 1-all draw in the second round.
 
The Buckeyes have 12 NCAA Tournament appearances with an overall record of 9-10-4.
 
Ohio State has played 10 matches at home in NCAA Tournament competition all-time (6-2-2). The last home NCAA match was against Dayton in 2015. The Buckeyes advanced 4-3 on PKs after a double-overtime 1-all draw.
 
How it Happened
Ohio State was the aggressor for the majority of the first half but the Broncos got the first goal on just its second shot of the game in the 33′. Owen Smith was credited with the score with a header from less than a foot outside the Ohio State goal line.
 
The Buckeyes evened the score in the 41′ off a corner. David Ajagbe and Nathan Demian put attempts on net but it was Siggi Magnusson who put it passed the Bronco’s keeper for the score. Magnusson was on the ground when his shot found the back of the net low on the right. It was his fourth score of the season. Demian was credited with the assist, his first point of the season.

41′ | Siggi Magnusson serves up the equalizer. The Buckeyes are now tied with Western Michigan 1-1. #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/l1I0EoThYD

— Ohio State Men’s Soccer (@OhioStateMSOC) November 24, 2024

46′ | Back at it in Columbus, tied at 1-all after Magnusson’s equalizer late in the first. #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/WxILImvVRQ

— Ohio State Men’s Soccer (@OhioStateMSOC) November 24, 2024

 
Michael Adedokun put the Buckeyes up 2-1 in the 65′ when he took a long pass from Luchiano Pechota down the left side. Adedokun took control of the ball in front of the Ohio State bench and dribbled to the left of the Western Michigan goal and put it away in the bottom left of the net for the score, his ninth goal of the year. The goal, the 48^th of the season for the Buckeyes, set a single-season record for goals at Ohio State. The 1983 team finished with 47 goals.

65′ | Adedokun showcases his elite footwork, giving Ohio State a 2-1 lead over Western Michigan. #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/HcxZbcbaXX

— Ohio State Men’s Soccer (@OhioStateMSOC) November 24, 2024

Watch Adedokun get free for his ninth goal of the season. #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/VjC2pzpsPw

— Ohio State Men’s Soccer (@OhioStateMSOC) November 24, 2024

 

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