Crusaders Fall to Ohio State Wednesday
In the midst of a stretch of road matches, the Valparaiso University men’s soccer team surrendered three early goals at Big Ten foe Ohio State on Wednesday evening in Columbus, Ohio and eventually fell by a 4-1 final score.
How It Happened
- Ohio State struck with the match’s opening goal just 4:27 into the game, as Danny Jensen headed home a cross.
- The Buckeyes added goals in the 13th and 21st minutes before Jensen completed his hat trick less than five minutes into the second half.
- Senior Isaiah Madrid (Albuquerque, N.M/Eldorado [FGCU]) got the Crusaders on the board in the 65th minute, making a run up the middle and finding the back of the net from 20 yards out.
Inside the Match
- Despite the final scoreline, the Crusaders matched Ohio State in total shots, 13-13 and put seven shots on goal to the Buckeyes’ eight. Both sides earned four corner kicks as well.
- Madrid has now tallied five goals and two assists this year, matching in just six matches so far this year his final totals from 18 matches last season.
- Senior goalkeeper Nico Campbell (Kingston, Jamaica/St. George’s College) made way in goal for redshirt freshman Nacho Miras (Jerez de la Frontera, Spain/Nuestra Semora del Pilar) in the 75th minute. Miras made his first career regular season appearance for the Crusaders, while Campbell came off the pitch for the first time in 2,665 minutes.
Thoughts From Head Coach Mike Avery
“Some nights you have to just tip your hat to your opponent, and tonight was one of those nights for us. We didn't start well, and Ohio State did, and by the time we started to look anything like ourselves we were down three goals. Credit to them, they turned us over in our half and then punished us with quality finishing.”
“We've had two long bus trips in the last four days, and due to not wanting to miss too much school early in the semester, we drove the five hours today to get here. Physically our preparation was not as sharp as it could have been, so I'm not going to beat the guys up too much, but excuses aside, it was Ohio State's night, and they earned the win.”
“The good news is that it only counts as one loss, we had some very good play after the first twenty minutes and showed we can play evenly with the defending Big Ten champion. We have a few days here in Ohio to now focus on Saturday night's league game at Cleveland State. I'm confident we will bounce right back.”
Next Up
The Crusaders (2-2-2) will continue Horizon League play Saturday evening at Cleveland State. The game, which will kick off at 6 p.m. CT, can be seen live on ESPN3, WatchESPN and the ESPN app. Links for the live video, as well as live stats, will be available via ValpoAthletics.com.
