After their biggest victory of the season - a 4-1 demolition of the Butler Bulldogs - the Ohio State men's soccer team looked to finally start performing in the consistent fashion that they had lacked up to that point.
With three of their next four matchups coming against Big Ten opponents, the Buckeyes knew that this stretch of games could put them right back in conference contention. In the end, those three games did the exact opposite.
Three one-goal losses to Michigan, Michigan State and Northwestern respectively mean the Buckeyes are now sitting at 0-4 in conference play and are at the foot of the standings.
Their first game in Ann Arbor is probably the one that coach John Bluem knows his team should've had. Taking a 2-1 lead 15 minutes the second half, Ohio State then gave up a goal only to the Wolverines only 12 seconds later. The goal shocked the entire side and even though they made it into the second overtime period, they couldn't prevent a Michigan victory.
After that it was a home game against the Spartans, another winless team in the Big Ten. Even with their similar records, it was the the away who looked much more accomplished, restricting Ohio State to virtually no offensive pressure. Yianni Sarris's clinical strike late in the match looked to have potentially salvaged the situation for his team, but the result was never in doubt as Michigan State held on for the 2-1 win.
On the following Wednesday it was the Bowling Green State Falcons who rollied into Columbus, and Ohio State got a morale-boosting 2-0 victory. Dominating just about every aspect of the match, the Buckeyes looked solid in midfield and for once were clinical with their opportunities.
But their tough Big Ten campaign continued as they visited Northwestern, one of the top teams in the conference. Though coach Bluem was happy with his team's effort, they couldn't break down the Wildcat defense and therefore ensured that Ohio State still hadn't picked up a point on the road in four attempts.
With only four games left in the regular season the team know they are out of the conference championship picture. The positive they do have is that three of those games are at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium, the site of the team's only victories.
Though the games against Akron at home and Penn State on the road will certainly be difficult ones, the Buckeyes are hoping that they could at least split the end of the season stretch, and finally start feeling a little better about their play heading into the postseason.
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