Men’s soccer battles to goalless draw with No. 17 Louisville

Eran Hami
Thu, 03 Oct 2013 03:38:27 +0000
Soccer, Sports, Buckeyes, ohio state, soccer

Junior midfielder Ryan Ivancic (23) signs autographs for fans after a game against Louisville Oct. 2. OSU and Louisville tied, 0-0.
Credit: Ryan Robey / For the Lantern

Although their goalless skid continued against No. 17 Louisville, the Ohio State men’s soccer team managed to hold off the Cardinals on the way to a scoreless draw Wednesday.

OSU’s best opportunity came late in double overtime when a through ball was played to freshman forward Danny Jensen. The ball was collected and scored by Jensen but called back after he was flagged for offsides.

“I think we had more of the better chances in the game,” junior goalkeeper Alex Ivanov said, who ended the game with four saves.

The shutout was Ivanov’s fourth of 2013.

The Buckeyes were able to play compact, keeping minimal space between the midfield and defense. This allowed OSU to pressure Louisville and move the ball up the pitch.

Ivanov said he has faith in the attack and hopes for an end of the Buckeyes goalless streak.

“I think it’s a good confidence booster but we still haven’t gotten that monkey off our back getting that goal,” Ivanov said. “Hopefully we can get that goal against Michigan.”

OSU was out shot 23-12, but coach John Bluem said that statistics can be misleading.

“We allowed a lot of shots but that can be deceiving,” Bluem said. “They take a lot of shots from distance. I don’t think Ivanov was that threatened.”

Going forward, Jensen said the match will be a boost for OSU’s confidence moving forward.

“I think that was one of the best games we played this year,” Jensen said. “We definitely showed that we have it in us to win.”

OSU tallied 24 fouls to Louisville’s 13, including a yellow card to Louisville redshirt-junior and former Buckeye Santiago Vélez also picked up a yellow in the 43rd minute.

Bluem likes the result by the Buckeyes but was hopeful for a win.

“Super proud of our guys tonight. They played hard and battled 110 minutes,” Bluem said. “I think they deserve better.”

OSU is set to resume conference play against Michigan Sunday at 2 p.m. at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.