After getting a win, loss and a draw in the last three games, the Ohio State men's soccer team are looking to close out their regular season campaign with a home win against Wisconsin on Sunday.
The Buckeyes had three commendable performances in a row, with only one of them leading to a win.
That win came against in-state rival Wright State, who travelled to Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium with only three wins. Ohio State showed their superiority through much of the first half, going a goal up through Sage Gardner's penalty kick. But a lack of concentration cost them that lead and the momentum, as the Raiders' leading scorer Brett Elder equalized with only 5 minutes to go in the half.
The home team did find their way again though, with senior Chris Hegngi netting only his second goal of the season. It was good enough to give Ohio State a 2-1 victory, their 5th home win and 6th overall.
A week later it was arguably the Buckeyes's biggest game of the year, as #2 ranked Akron came into Columbus for what was to be their most difficult test yet.
Even though Akron had the majority of the possession and play, Ohio State could honestly say that the game produced some of their best attacking of the year. The Buckeyes created at least 5-6 strong saves from Zips goalie David Meves, each one seemingly better than the last.
Eventually the Ohio State defense came undone, and Akron ran away with the victory thanks to a solitary goal from Reinaldo Brenes.
Ohio State's final road game of the year was in State College, Pennsylvania, as they face the Penn State Nittany Lions.
In what can only be described as a topsy-turvy tussle, the two teams battled to a 4-4 draw. The hosts took the lead in only the ninth minute, but the Buckeyes came storming back to take a 2-1 lead with goals from Kenny Cunningham and Chris Hegngi. Penn State did equalize minutes later through Marvin Ledgister, and it was 2-2 going into the dressing rooms.
The second half looked to have been going the Nittany Lions way, as goals from Julian Cordona and Daniel Parr gave them what looked like an unassailable 4-2 lead with 10 minutes to go.
But Ohio State had other ideas. A Louie Berra strike in the 81st minute, and an own goal in the 88th gave them an unlikely reprieve, and the game somehow went into overtime.
Neither side could find a winner, and Ohio State came out with what must be considered a precious point. It was the Buckeyes first result of any kind in the Big Ten, a stat which highlights the difficulties they've experienced.
They have a chance to finally get a win in conference, in their last game of the season against Wisconsin. Though the Buckeyes sit last in the Big Ten standings, the Badgers are right above them with only one win. An Ohio State victory on Sunday could pull them equal with the team from Madison, with their conference records becoming identical, though Wisconsin would have one less loss the season overall.
In any case, this Buckeyes squad will go into the Big Ten tournament as one of its two lowest seeds, meaning the message is clear: the road to a conference championship will be an extremely tough one.
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