Michigan Secures Draw at Ohio State with Two Second-Half Goals

Monday, March 15

Columbus, Ohio

3:00 PM

Michigan

3-1-1, 3-1-1

Ohio State

3-1-1, 3-1-1

Michigan

Ohio State

Jackson Ragen (Michigan Photography)

Michigan Secures Draw at Ohio State with Two Second-Half Goals

3/15/2021 6:08:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score PDF Boxscore

By: Brad Rudner

» Michigan and Ohio State played to a 2-2 draw, each picking up a point in the Big Ten standings.
» Inaki Rodriguez and Jackson Ragen scored goals -- both in the second half.
» Ethan Wood made his first collegiate start in goal for Owen Finnerty, who served a one-match suspension after receiving a red card in the previous game.

Site: Columbus, Ohio (Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium)
Score: #6 Michigan 2, Ohio State 2 (2OT)
Records: U-M (3-1-1), OSU (3-1-1)
Next U-M Event: Tuesday, March 23 -- at Michigan State (East Lansing, Mich.), 2 p.m. (TV: Big Ten Network)

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The No. 6-ranked University of Michigan men's soccer team secured a point in the Big Ten Conference standings with a 2-2 double-overtime draw at Ohio State on Monday (March 15) at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. Sophomore Inaki Rodriguez and senior Jackson Ragen scored goals for the Wolverines.

"The conditions were challenging and a confident Ohio State squad certainly made it very difficult for us," said head coach Chaka Daley. "They were resilient after we went ahead twice. We had more moments, but not enough on the end of it. It wasn't our best day, but as I've said, if you can come away with points in this conference on the road, you're moving forward in a positive way."

The first half was a defensive affair, as the two sides generated only four shots combined (one on-target). The Buckeyes had a chance in the 11th minute through Parker Grinstead, but it went wide of the post. Michigan's first shot of the contest came in the 41st minute off a long throw that caught sophomore Evan Rasmussen, but his looping header was easily corralled by OSU goalkeeper Noah Lawrence.

Ohio State had a spell midway through the frame with a free kick in an advanced spot outside the penalty box and a pair of corner kicks, though all were dealt with confidently by the Michigan back line.

The Wolverines found the breakthrough in the 54th minute through Rodriguez, who scored his first collegiate goal with a beautiful bit of skill. Rasmussen won a ball out of the midfield and played it to Rodriguez on the left flank. He took on defenders, switched the ball to his right foot, and fired a shot into the corner to give Michigan the 1-0 lead.

The Buckeyes equalized seven minutes later from Grinstead.

Michigan grabbed momentum right back, jumping in front not 90 seconds later off a set piece. Senior Marc Ybarra sent in a free kick that found senior Jackson Ragen, who put some wicked spin on a header that trickled inside the far post beyond Lawrence's outstretched arms. Ragen nearly had a second goal off a corner kick from freshman Bryce Blevins, but Lawrence reacted well to deflect out his header.

Ohio State leveled the match at 2-2 in the 75th minute on a goal from Ty Konrad.

Neither team had any shots on goal in the overtime periods, though each came close. In the 101st minute, right off the restart, Rodriguez whipped a cross to the back post, but it was just out of reach of junior Kevin Buca. On the other end, the Buckeyes clipped a dangerous ball into the box, but seniors Umar Farouk Osman and Carlos Tellez combined to eliminate the threat.

Freshman Ethan Wood made his first collegiate start in net in place of sophomore Owen Finnerty, who served a one-match suspension after receiving a red card in last Thursday's loss to Maryland. Wood played all 110 minutes and made one save.

The Wolverines enter their second bye date of the season and will have an eight-day layoff until their next game, a rematch with Michigan State next Tuesday (March 23) in East Lansing. The match is slated for 2 p.m. and will be televised on Big Ten Network.

"We're still in the running for a championship and a No. 1 seed in the conference tournament," Daley said. "Having such a short season with no preseason prep, every game is super valuable. Playing a local rival for the second time, at their place, it'll be challenging, but to have a week to get some recovery in our legs will be beneficial."