Around The Oval: Men's Soccer Preview

Last Year

Despite being projected to finish last in the conference last season, Ohio State had a relatively strong season. They finished second in the conference, and made their first NCAA Tournament since 2010.

The Buckeyes finished their season with a second round NCAA tournament loss to Notre Dame after advancing in the 15th round of Penalty Kicks against Akron the round before. They finished the season with a 9-8-5 record.

Here are the Top 10 goals of last season for your viewing pleasure:

Graduating Seniors

• Alex Ivanov (Goalkeeper): Has been Ohio State's starting goalkeeper for the past two seasons, and put up some impressive numbers. He has a career save total of 239, which is good for third in school history. Opponents also went an astonishingly low 1 for 6 on penalty kicks (not counting penalty shootouts). He was named second team All-Big Ten and Co-MVP of the team.
• Yianni Sannis (Midfielder): Saw action in all 22 games and led the Buckeyes in points (15), and had five goals, and five assists last season. He was named second team All-Big Ten and Co-MVP of the team.
• Ryan Ivancic (Midfielder): Played for the Ohio State club team for two years before earning a spot on the varsity roster for his junior season. He saw action in 19 of the team's 22 games.
• Max Moller (Midfielder): Saw action in 20 of the teams 22 games, notching 4 assists.
• Adrian McAdams (Goalkeeper): Saw just 17 minutes of action his senior season as he served as the backup for goalkeeper Alex Ivanov.
• Zach Dobey (Defender): Played in 11 games last season.
• Konrad Kucharski (Defender): Saw action in 10 games last season.

2015-16 Season

Incoming Freshmen

• Jack Freeman: Four-star defender out of Heartland Park, Missouri
• Parker Siegfried: Four-star goalkeeper out of Granville, Ohio
• Grzegorz Solawa: Three-star midfielder out of Illinois
• Nathan Zanzig: Unrated midfielder out of Great Lakes, Ohio

(info and ratings via topdrawersoccer.com)

Season Outlook

The Buckeyes 2015 schedule is not an easy one. Ohio State is scheduled to face 10 of last year's NCAA tournament teams. In addition, Ohio State will start their season with two exhibition games against NCAA tournament teams Xavier and Notre Dame, who knocked the Buckeyes out of the NCAA tournament in the second round last season.

Areas of Concern

Ohio State will have two main holes to fill this upcoming season with the departures of goalkeeper Alex Ivanov and midfielder Yianni Sannis.

Replacing two year starter and 2nd Team All-B1G Alex Ivanov will be quite the task. While the Buckeyes have three goalkeepers returning, and one true-freshman goalkeeper joining the team this season, there is not a minute of in game experience among them. Whoever starts in goal for Ohio State this year will be making their first start as a Buckeye on opening day. A lack of experience in the net could definitely hurt the scarlet and gray this upcoming season.

On the offensive end, Yianni Sannis will be sorely missed by the Buckeyes. The midfielder had a breakout season in his final year on the team, particularly offensively. He led the team in points, assists, and scored five goals. The offense seemed to flow through him and he had a knack for creating plays for himself and others.

Key Players

The good news for the Buckeyes is that while they did lose a few key pieces, they also return a lot of talent. Here are the impact players for the 2015 season:

• Zach Mason - (Senior, Midfielder): If the Buckeyes are looking for senior leadership, this is where it's going to come from. Zach Mason has started every game of his Ohio State career making him the most experienced Buckeye on the roster. The captain will again look to be a contributor on the field and a leader off the field in his final season.
• Danny Jenson - (Junior, Forward): Danny Jenson led the team with 18 shots on goal last season working as the team's top striker. With the absence of Sannis in the offense, his role as a goal scorer will be even more vital this season.
• Liam Doyle - (Senior, Defender): Doyle transferred to Ohio State after playing two seasons at Cincinnati State, and he was an instant impact for the Buckeye defense. Last season, he started every game at center back and proved himself not only as a defender, but as a goal scorer as well. He scored five goals, including three game winners (the most in the conference). He also became one of the team's top penalty takers.
• Marcus McCrary - (Sophomore, Forward): Though he started just 11 games last season, Marcus McCrary showed a ton of potential and I expect him to make an enormous impact on the Buckeye offense this season. He has the speed to outrun anybody on the pitch, and the size to overpower defenders. Physically, he is everything you want in a goal scorer. In the coming years, expect him to be one of the top strikers in the conference and possibly the nation. 

If the team can find a reliable replacement for the departing Alex Ivanov, the Buckeyes have all the pieces to be even better this season than they were last season and perhaps make a deep tournament run. 

Ohio State begins their season August 28 against Cal State Fullerton. We will have updates throughout the season here, but you can follow the official Twitter account @OhioState_MSOC and the Block "O" student section @BlockOSoccer for continuous updates. 

Next Week:

We will preview the 2015 Ohio State women's soccer season.