Ohio State men’s soccer is heading to the NCAA College Cup.
The No. 1 Buckeyes defended home turf on Saturday, taking down No. 8 Wake Forest 3-0 at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium to punch their ticket to Cary, North Carolina. Ohio State will take on the winner of No. 12 SMU and No. 13 Marshall in the semi-final round of the NCAA Tournament.
Final from Columbus, Ohio State 3, Wake Forest 0. #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/jDapeAKJRQ
— Ohio State Mens Soccer (@OhioStateMSOC) December 8, 2024
The Buckeyes and Demon Deacons endured 40 scoreless minutes to open the game until senior midfielder Michael Adedokun sunk a penalty shot to put Ohio State up by a goal just before halftime. Ohio State dominated the opening frame, posting five shots on goal compared to Wake Forest’s two.
David Wrona drew the penalty and Michael Adedokun converted to make it 1-0 Buckeyes. #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/3GSeQ83sAL
— Ohio State Mens Soccer (@OhioStateMSOC) December 7, 2024
It didn’t take long for Ohio State to pad its lead, as a nice setup pass from junior midfielder Luciano Pechota found the foot of David Ajagbe, who fired a shot into the back of the net to put the Buckeyes up by two in the 48th minute.
Pechota sets up Ajagbe to make it 2-0 Buckeyes. #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/bJrDxrRS7a
— Ohio State Mens Soccer (@OhioStateMSOC) December 7, 2024
Just 11 minutes later, Adedokun found twine again. The senior midfielder volleyed a shot past Wake Forest goalie Trace Alphin and lifted the Buckeyes to a 3-0 advantage.
59' | Michael Adedokun makes it 3-0 Buckeyes from Parker Grinstead and Luciano Pechota. #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/IFodX1zeZV
— Ohio State Mens Soccer (@OhioStateMSOC) December 7, 2024
Ohio State maintained the three-goal lead until time expired, fending off the Demon Deacons for the rest of the contest.
Ohio State will return to the pitch on Friday, Dec. 13 in the NCAA College Cup.
