UMBC men notch 1-0 home win over Ohio State
BALTIMORE (Via UMBC) – UMBC senior Darius Madison (Philadelphia, Pa.) scored the game’s lone goal in the 59th minute as the 17th-ranked Retrievers blanked Ohio State, 1-0, before another overflow crowd in the Westin/Sheraton BWI Classic at Retriever Soccer Park.
UMBC won its second straight contest and improved to 2-0-1 on the season, while OSU, an NCAA Tournament squad from 2014, dropped its second straight and slipped to 1-2-0.
To kick off Labor Day weekend, 2,470 fans attended the game, the second-most in the history of the facility. The top crowd was one week ago, as UMBC celebrated its 2014 College Cup in front of a record 2,870 spectators.
After having a possession edge in the first half, the Buckeyes looked as though they might break on top early in the second stanza. Just one minute into the action, OSU forward Danny Jensen took a pass and got through the Retriever defense, but a charging UMBC netminder Billy Heavner (Landisville, Pa.) denied the chance, knocking the ball out over the end line.
The momentum shifted to UMBC and was capped when Madison finished a great passing play by the hosts for his second goal in three outings as a Retriever. Freshman midfielder Patrick Jean-Gilles (Woodbridge, Va.) sent a beautiful diagonal pass from the circle to a streaking Joseph Pratt (Gaithersburg, Md./Gaithersburg) down the right wing. The senior crossed the ball along the ground into the box, where Madison struck it from 14 yards out and into the far upper right corner of the net.
Ohio State outshot UMBC, 5-4, in the final 45 minutes and 10-6 overall, but could not muster any great scoring chances in the final 30 minutes. Heavner finished with four saves and earned his tenth career shutout in 19 starts. OSU netminder Chris Froshauer made three saves for his side.
Madison recorded four of UMBC’s six shots to lead all players in the first contest played
between the two sides.
UMBC hosts Oakland, another 2014 NCAA Tournament squad, in the finale on Sunday at 7:00 p.m.. Oakland edged Navy, 3-2, in overtime. The Mids and Buckeyes will play in Annapolis at 4:00 p.m.
