IU mens soccer team, Ohio State play to 0-0 tie

With Big Ten season reaching the final stretch, the IU men’s soccer team tried to make the most of another opportunity this weekend as it faced the Ohio State Buckeyes at Bill Armstrong Stadium. But the No. 16 Hoosiers – winners of 33 of the 35 matches held between the two schools before Sunday – played to a 0-0 draw with the Buckeyes after two overtime periods could not decide a winner. \n“We came out a little flat,” junior goalkeeper Chay Cain said. “I don’t think we came out with the same fire we usually have.”\nThe first half was a roller-coaster ride for both teams, as the Hoosiers began the game with lackluster offensive play, leaving them to spend most of the first 10 minutes defending their goal. IU did a good job clearing the ball out of the box, but the Hoosiers had difficulty setting up offensive plays at the other end of the pitch. \nThe first half also saw great goalkeeping on both ends of the field. There were several opportunities for both teams, including a close call for the Hoosiers with roughly five minutes remaining in the half. \nThe Buckeyes fired a shot toward goal, and Cain was forced to make an acrobatic save in the six-yard box. The rebound was recovered by Ohio State, but Cain was able to get back on his feet in time to dive and save another Buckeye shot. \n“When it’s a 0-0 game like this, you just try to do what you can to keep your team in the game,” Cain said. “When the offense isn’t doing so much, then the defense has to pick it up, and today we did that.”\nIU began the second half with the same intensity it had at the end of the first half, but the Hoosiers had trouble sustaining it. They showed poor offensive intensity in the remaining 10 minutes of play, scrambling for a goal with the remaining two minutes ticking off the clock. Neither team found the net, and the game moved to overtime.\nJunior midfielder Brad Ring said he thought his team looked good on the field, but he said knew facing Ohio State would be tough from the beginning.\n“I thought we had the better of the play,” Ring said. “We had some opportunities to score, which could have made the game a lot easier. It’s always a hard-fought battle with Ohio State.”\nThe exhaustion factor affecting both teams showed in the first overtime period. However, the Buckeyes dominated offensively, leading to a close scare for the Hoosiers. The Buckeyes caught Cain off guard and brought the ball into the 6-yard box. But, despite having a wide-open goal in front of them, no Buckeye could get a foot on the ball before it rolled out of bounds. \nMuch of the rest of the game was uneventful, as the two teams played through a second overtime without a goal, ending the scoreless affair. \nAfter the game, IU coach Mike Freitag said he thinks his team played well, but that he has seen better performances.\n“I felt we were okay today,” Freitag said. “We just missed a little bit of zoom.”