Columbus' Ohio State Buckeyes men's soccer team clinched a spot in the NCAA quarterfinals following a nail-biter penalty kick shootout against Stanford on Sunday. The No. 1 seed Buckeyes and No. 16 seed Stanford couldn't score during regular play and two overtimes, which led to the heart-stopping PK conclusion, NBC4i reports. Buckeyes goalkeeper Max Trejo emerged as a hero, denying Stanford's first two shots. The Buckeyes drilled all four of their attempts, sealing the game with an unyielding 4-2 performance.
With his team rallying behind him, Trejo - whose record now glistens at 9-0-2 with only six goals allowed this season - was a force to be reckoned with. "Honestly, nerves were going but for sure there’s excitement because if I made it we win. I’m just glad we got it done, We put in effort and we got the reward,” Anthony Samways, the clincher of the series, told NBC4i. Now, the focused Buckeyes prepare to host No. 8 Wake Forest on the green of Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium, with the heady prospect of an NCAA College Cup spot looming on the horizon.
But the journey here wasn't just one of technical shots and athletic prowess. A touch of drama added spice to the game. After Stanford broke unwritten protocol with a contentious practice on the pitch of Owens Stadium, the act ignited the Buckeyes' drive, the Dispatch reports. Ohio State's coach Brian Maisonneuve praised his team's emotional control amid this and the harsh conditions, “We had to match what they brought, and we couldn't let our emotions get in the way... And Max came up huge."
Maisonneuve couldn't help but express the solidarity and determination pulsing through his squad before the deciding penalty kicks. “You could feel it in the huddle," Maisonneuve said, "You knew they had each others' backs, you felt the energy − and they would not be denied" per The Columbus Dispatch. Given the Buckeyes' stunning improvement from last season's 6-6-6 record, the confidence from the team and coaching staff appears unshaken as the players eye their next challenge with a home-ground advantage.
Ohio State's season stats, underscored by the team’s stellar winning percentage and Trejo's record-setting goals against average, serve as a testament to the formidable opponent that Wake Forest will face on Saturday. A win would pen a new chapter in Ohio State's soccer history — one that has the potential to be as golden as the autumn leaves that blanket the city this time of year. For more information on the upcoming match and the Buckeyes’ season stats, visit the Ohio State Buckeyes official website.
