Rutgers men's soccer falls flat in defeat to Ohio State
The Rutgers men's soccer team returned to Yurcak Field on Busch campus to face off against Ohio State on Friday. The Scarlet Knights (2-5-2, 0-2-1) suffered a 2-0 defeat to the Buckeyes (3-4-2, 1-2-0).
Rutgers started the game with more possession of the ball and more scoring chances.
Junior midfielder Curt Calov had a free-kick in the 18th minute but his shot attempt rattled off the left post.
The Knights would have a counter-attack opportunity in the 23rd minute when Calov played a through ball to senior forward Ola Maeland, who shot the ball wide of the right post.
In the first 30 minutes of the game, Rutgers was creating scoring opportunities but struggling to put its shots on target and trouble goalkeeper Max Trejo.
Ohio State would have a chance to take the lead in the 34th minute when junior goalkeeper Aurie Briscoe committed a foul in the box to give the Buckeyes a penalty kick. Laurence Wootton placed his penalty kick in the bottom right corner to open the scoring.
Going into halftime, the Knights trailed 1-0. Both Rutgers and Ohio State had six shots in the first half, but the Buckeyes proved to be the more clinical team.
The second half had a more even start as both sides battled to dominate possession of the ball.
Ohio State would extend its lead to 2 goals in the 60th minute when Parker Grinstead swung a corner kick into the box that found Marko Borkovic, who headed the ball into the back of the net.
The Knights had a great chance to cut their deficit in half in the 78th minute. Maeland found space on the edge of the box and played a pass to Calov, but his shot went over the crossbar.
Things would go from bad to worse for Rutgers as it had to play with a man down for approximately the final 9 minutes of the match when senior midfielder Jason Bouregy received a red card in the 81st minute.
The Knights pushed forward to make a late comeback but were ultimately unsuccessful, losing their second consecutive game.
Rutgers created many scoring chances but failed to convert any into goals. The Knights took 12 shots but just two were on target.
The game was physical, with both sides committing more than 16 fouls and both sides receiving more than three cards.
Briscoe made three saves in his second start of the season.
Rutgers will look to earn its first conference win when it travels to College Park, Maryland, to face off against Maryland on Tuesday. The game will begin at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.
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