Around The Oval: Men's Soccer Ties Two Ranked Teams, Buckeye Tennis's Mikael Torpegaard Faces Rafael Nadal, and Women's Volleyball Extends Win Streak

Men's soccer draws two ranked teams

It's fair to say the Ohio State men's soccer team has had some early season struggles. After winning their opener against Cal State Fullerton 2-0, the team dropped their next four matches, scoring just one goal over the span. To have any chance against top-15 opponents Akron and Penn State this week, the Buckeyes needed to play much better in just about every aspect of the game — and that's exactly what they did.

Buckeye senior forward Kenny Cunningham during Ohio State's 3-3 draw of Akron

The Buckeyes took a trip to Akron to face the No. 11 Zips. After falling behind 1-0 at the half, Ohio State responded with their best performance of the season scoring three second half goals (doubling their season total in just a half) and recording a double-overtime draw.

The team carried that momentum into their Sunday match versus No. 13 Penn State. Ohio State took a season-high 23 shots (eight on goal), and finished the game in a 1-1 draw despite being forced to play a man down for the final 24 minutes after Danny Jenson was sent off on his second yellow card.

The  Buckeyes' lone goal was scored by Ohio State forward Kenny Cunningham. It was the fifth-year senior's first goal since 2013 after he missed the entire 2014 season due to injury. “I just made a near post run and Abdi (Mohamed) played a great ball into me. It was an amazing feeling to hear the crowd again after scoring a goal,” said Cunningham.

The team looks confident and is finally playing up to its potential. Perhaps this week will be looked at as the turning point in their season.

They'll be back in action Friday when they take on Dayton in Columbus.

torpegaard faces rafael nadal

It's not every day a college sophomore gets to face an international star, but Ohio State's Mikael Torpegaard got that chance this weekend.

Torpegaard was selected by his home nation of Denmark to compete in the Davis Cup this weekend. Denmark's opponent was Spain, meaning the Ohio State sophomore would be playing against the 7th ranked player in the world — Rafael Nadal.

Mikael Torpegaard with world No. 7 Rafael Nadal (via @OhioState_MTEN)

To say that Torpegaard held his own in the match wouldn't be exactly fair given that Nadal won in straight sets, but he certainly didn't get embarrassed either. The match finished with a final score of 6-4, 6-3, 6-2.

There was never a real chance of Torpegaard upsetting the world No. 7, but it was an experience that he won't soon forget.

women's volleyball extends streak

The Ohio State women's volleyball team extended their winning streak to 11 matches this weekend while winning their third tournament title in as many weeks. 

The team dominated the weekend. Over three matches, the Buckeyes dropped just one set against the host school of Oakland. They swept the other two matches against Eastern Illinois and Western Michigan to end the weekend with an aggregate of nine set wins and one set loss. 

The team is currently ranked 13th in the country as the enter into Big Ten Conference play this week with home matches against No. 23 Minnesota and No. 11 Wisconsin.

Other Scores and News

• Women's Soccer: Opened B1G play with a 2-1 loss to Minnesota and a scoreless draw to Wisconsin.
• Women's Golf: Finished 10th in the Dick McGuire Invitational.
• Field Hockey: Defeated Michigan State 2-1 and Ohio University 3-2.
• Men's Cross Country: Finished second at the Commodore Classic with 68 points.
• Women's Cross Country: Finished sixth at the Commodore Classic with 161 points.

What's Happening This Week

• Men's Soccer: Faces Dayton Friday in Columbus.
• Women's Volleyball: Opens Big Ten play with home matches against Minnesota and Wisconsin Wednesday and Sunday.
• Men's Golf: Competes in the Inverness Intercollegiate Monday and Tuesday.
• Women's Golf: Competes in the Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Championship Monday and Tuesday.
• Field Hockey: Travels to Miami University Wednesday and to Penn State Sunday.
• Women's Soccer: Travels to Iowa Thursday and to Nebraska Sunday.