COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Ohio State men's soccer team will open Big Ten action at Northwestern at 8 p.m. ET Friday from Lanny and Sharon Martin Stadium in Evanston, Ill. The Buckeyes hit the road for the first time in 2017 with a 3-1-0 overall record, while the Wildcats sit at 1-3-0 overall. The match will be streamed on BTN Plus ($).
SOME NOTES ON THE BUCKEYES
- The Buckeyes are 3-1-0 overall after claiming three shutouts in Columbus to start the season. Ohio State blanked Pitt, Lehigh and Wright State.
- The match Friday will be the first time Ohio State has played at newly-renovated Martin Stadium.
- Freshman forward Joshua Jackson-Ketchup leads the Buckeyes with six points on three goals. Senior back Niall Logue and junior forward Michael Prosuk each have one goal.
- Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Parker Siegfried is 3-1 with a 0.75 goals-against average and three shutouts. The OSU backline is holding opponents to 12 shots per game and only four shots on goal per game.
- Head coach John Bluem claimed his 200th win at Ohio State in the 2-0 win over Lehigh Sept. 1.
- Ohio State returns four starters from the 2016 squad and welcomes 18 newcomers. Fifteen of the 18 newcomers are freshmen. The Buckeyes lost nine letterwinners and seven starters from the 2016 sqaud.
- The Scarlet and Gray bring back their leading point scorer in senior forward Nate Kohl, a second team All-Big Ten selection with 14 points (6g, 2a), a year ago. Junior midfielder Abdi Mohamed, honored as a second team selection, also returns after scoring 11 points (4g, 3a). Siegfried is back too after earning All-Big Ten Freshmen honors in 2016.
- The Buckeyes were picked seventh in the Big Ten preseason poll announced last week. Maryland was the preseason favorite followed by Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Michigan and Penn State.
- Senior back Hunter Robertson joined Kohl and Mohamed on the Big Ten Preseason Honor List.
- The 2017 incoming class ranked seventh in the country by College Soccer News. The Buckeyes were one of four schools in the nation to have three straight Top 10 classes along with North Carolina, Wake Forest and Virginia. The group hails from three different countries, while five members are natives of Ohio. The incoming Buckeyes feature seven defenders, five forwards, four midfielders and two goalkeepers.
BUCKEYES SWEEP BIG TEN WEEKLY AWARDS
Joshua Jackson-Ketchup was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week, while Parker Siegfried earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, the conference office announced Tuesday. Jackson-Ketchup, from Margate, Fla., scored three goals over the weekend to help Ohio State to two home victories. He scored both goals in the 2-0 win over Lehigh Sept. 1, including a strike from 30 yards out. The OSU rookie then sealed a 2-0 victory over Wright State with a late second-half goal Monday. Jackson-Ketchup is tied for the conference lead in goals (3) and goals per game (0.75). Siegfried, from Granville, Ohio, chalked up back-to-back clean shutouts to improve to 3-1 on the year. He made three saves in the win over the Mountain Hawks and had two stops against the Raiders. Siegfried now has six shutouts in his career, including three this fall. He is fourth in the league in goals-against average (0.75).
A LOOK AT NORTHWESTERN
The Wildcats opened the season with a 2-1 overtime win over Valparaiso in Evanston, Ill., but have dropped three straight matches, including a 3-1 decision last time out against Syracuse. Mac Mazzola, Jake Roberge and Ty Seager each have one goal on the year. The Wildcats have used two goalkeepers through four matches. Miha Miskovic is 0-1 with a 3.31 GAA and Francisco Tomasino is 1-2 with a 1.41 GAA.
OHIO STATE VS. THE WILDCATS
This will be the 34th meeting between the two schools. Last year, the Buckeyes won 1-0 in their Big Ten opener over the Wildcats in Columbus. Ohio State leads the all-time series, 19-11-3.
LAST FIVE MEETINGS
Sept. 10, 2016 - Ohio State 1, Northwestern 0
Sept. 11, 2015 - Northwestern 2, Ohio State 1
Sept. 14, 2014 - Ohio State 2, Northwestern 0
Oct. 20, 2013 - Northwestern 0, Ohio State 0 (2OT)
Nov. 7, 2012 - Northwestern 2, Ohio State 0
WOLSTEIN CLASSIC RECAP
Ohio State opened the 2017 season in thrilling fashion Aug. 25 when Michael Prosuk scored the game-winning goal in the 90th minute to beat Pitt 1-0. Marcus McCrary sent a rolling cross to the far post for Prosuk to score his first goal in a Scarlet and Gray uniform. Parker Siegfried made five saves for his fourth career shutout. In the Wolstein Classic finale, the Buckeyes fell, 3-0, against FIU last Sunday. Hunter Robertson and Kevin Blackwood were each honored on the Wolstein Classic All-Tournament Team. In all, nine members made their Buckeye debuts during the opening weekend.
Head coach John Bluem and his staff welcomed a total of 18 new faces to its 2017 roster. The incoming class is made up of three transfers and 15 freshmen - Kevin Blackwood, John Swann, Michael Prosuk, Joshua Jackson-Ketchup, Adrian Ramos, Will Hirschman, Jared Anderson, Jacob Goyen, Theo Alexis, Devyn Etling, Jake Scheper, David Abonce, Christian Harter, Xavier Kennedy, Matt Kiley, Chase Carraher, Mitch Bergman and Gabe Harms. After missing last year due to injury, redshirt junior transfer Brady Blackwell is also ready to make an impact in the Buckeye midfield.
FREE FOR ALL
The Buckeyes' schedule includes 11 matches at Bert L. & Iris S. Wolstein Field at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium this season with home Big Ten action kicking off Sept. 12 against Penn State. Admission is free to all Ohio State men's soccer regular-season home games.
HOME BROADCAST SCHEDULE
Ohio State will be shown on the Big Ten Network against Penn State Sept. 12 in Columbus. Ten additional regular season home games will be streamed online through BTN Plus with one remaining home game on BuckeyeVision on OhioStateBuckeyes.com. The semifinals and final of the Big Ten Tournament Nov. 10-12 also will be shown live on BTN.
THE COACHING STAFF
Ohio State is under the direction of 21st-year head coach John Bluem. The 2014 Big Ten Coach of the Year, Bluem has guided the team to 10 NCAA Tournament appearances (2000-01-04-05-07-08-09-10-14-15), four Big Ten championships (2000-07-09-15) and a College Cup Final in 2007. Bluem's career record sits at 287-182-69 (.608) and has claimed four conference coach of the year awards (most by an active B1G coach). He is assisted by Ian Gordona, who was promoted to associate head coach heading into his fourth season at his alma mater. Joining the staff this past off-season was assistant coach Adam Pearce, who will be coaching the Buckeye goalkeepers this fall. Matt Appel, a member of the 2016 team, will be a student assistant coach this fall.
Ohio State returns to campus for a Big Ten midweek matchup against Penn State at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. The game will be televised live on BTN.
Buckeyes Conclude 2017 Season