Wolverines Snag Crucial Road Win at Ohio State

Wednesday, October 2

Columbus, Ohio

7:00 PM

Michigan

4-2-3, 1-0-2

Ohio State

5-4-1, 0-2-1

Michigan

Ohio State

Christian Pulselli

10/2/2019 9:56:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score PDF Boxscore

By: Brad Rudner

» The Wolverines got second-half goals from Christian Pulselli and Jackson Ragen in a crucial 2-0 win over Ohio State on Wednesday (Oct. 2) in Columbus.
» Michigan extended its unbeaten run to five matches (2-0-3) with the win.
» Andrew Verdi made a season-high four saves and recorded his fourth shutout of the season.

Site: Columbus, Ohio (Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium)
Score: Michigan 2, Ohio State 0
Records: U-M (4-2-3, 1-0-2 Big Ten), OSU (5-4-1, 0-2-1 Big Ten)
Next U-M Event: Sunday, Oct. 6 -- vs. Northwestern (U-M Soccer Stadium), 4 p.m.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Behind second-half goals from freshman Christian Pulselli and junior Jackson Ragen, the University of Michigan men's soccer team picked up a huge road win and a crucial three points in a 2-0 victory over Ohio State on Wednesday (Oct. 2) at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. With the win, the Wolverines extended their unbeaten streak to five matches (2-0-3) and moved from fifth to third in the Big Ten standings behind Indiana and first-place Penn State.

The Buckeyes held the run of play in the first half as they outshot the Wolverines by a 6-1 clip. Michigan's best and only chance of the half came in the final minutes from junior Umar Farouk Osman off a corner kick. Osman intercepted a clearance and dribbled into space outside the box, but his shot went high of the frame.

On the other end, senior Andrew Verdi made an important save in the closing seconds to keep it level, denying Ohio State's Brayden Durbin on the doorstep with a kick save. The teams went into the halftime locker room scoreless.

In the 53rd minute, graduate student Nebojsa Popovic sprung senior Jack Hallahan on a counterattack, but his left-footed attempt was saved by Ohio State goalkeeper Parker Siegfried.

Two minutes later, it was Ohio State that nearly broke the deadlock. Verdi came out to challenge Ohio State's Devyn Etling on the left side of the box, but his shot went under Verdi's sliding attempt, ricocheting off the post for a corner kick.

Michigan took the lead in the 58th minute off a corner kick from junior Marc Ybarra. The Ann Arbor native sent in a ball to the back post for Pulselli, who evaded his defender and roofed a shot with his right foot. It was his first career goal.

WATCH: Christian Pulselli nets his first career goal, roofing one with the right foot off the corner kick to put U-M ahead 1-0 on Ohio State. #GoBlue pic.twitter.com/OuM9dTsnWF
— Michigan Men's Soccer (@umichsoccer) October 3, 2019

The Wolverines doubled their advantage in the 81st minute, once again off a set piece. Ybarra hit a corner kick low to the center of the box for Ragen, who shot it through traffic and into the net off the post to give U-M the 2-0 lead.

Ohio State tried to get back in the game with a great chance in the 83rd minute, but Verdi was once again up to the task, making another kick save near the goal line. He made a season-best four saves on the evening and recorded his fourth shutout of the season in the process.

Michigan will returns to U-M Soccer Stadium on Sunday (Oct. 6), when the Wolverines will host Northwestern. The match is tentatively slated to start at 4 p.m., following the conclusion of the women's soccer match against Nebraska. The men's and women's soccer teams are combining to host their inaugural Pride Day, aligning with the university's Diversity, Equality & Inclusion (DEI) initiatives to promote an inclusive environment and drive positive social change.