Ohio State Beats Memphis 3–1 in Columbus

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Memphis walked into Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium on Sunday night with a ranking and a reputation. Ohio State sent them home with a lesson in ruthlessness.

The No. 8 Buckeyes beat No. 23 Memphis 3–1, striking twice before halftime and adding a third midway through the second half. The Tigers finally answered through Mihiro Furuya, but the damage was already done.

Ohio State moves to 4-0-1. Memphis drops to 2-3-1.

Buckeyes seize control early

Memphis survived the opening exchanges, but not the first corner that truly mattered.

In the 15th minute, Ohio State made its pressure count. Off a corner, the ball fell to Elle Britt, and she punished the Tigers, giving the Buckeyes a 1-0 lead and an early foothold in a game they never really surrendered.

Memphis tried to respond and found looks of its own. The Tigers would finish with 13 shots, seven on target, repeatedly asking questions of Ohio State goalkeeper Peighton Northrup. She had the answers, piling up six saves.

Just when Memphis needed to get to the break only one down, Ohio State struck again.

In the 41st minute, Callie Tumilty drove a cross into the box. Amanda Schlueter met it and calmly slotted home for 2-0, a clinical finish that doubled the lead and left the Tigers chasing shadows heading into halftime.

Britt, Schlueter combine again

The pattern didn’t change much after the interval. Memphis pushed, but Ohio State carried the sharper edge in the final third.

The Buckeyes’ third goal summed up their night: composed, efficient, and ruthless. In the 69th minute, Schlueter turned provider, slipping a ball to Britt, who buried her second of the match to make it 3-0.

Memphis suddenly stared at a long road back with just over 20 minutes to play.

Furuya pulls one back

The Tigers refused to fold.

In the 79th minute, they finally broke through. Ally Casey whipped a cross into the box, and Furuya met it, forcing it over the line for 3-1. It was Furuya’s first goal of the season and the third of her career, a bright moment on a difficult night.

Casey’s assist was her first of the year and the second of her career.

The goal sparked a late surge. Memphis threw bodies forward, hunted for a second, and pinned Ohio State back for stretches of the final 10 minutes. The breakthrough never came.

Work rate, milestones amid defeat

The box score reflected a busy night for Memphis. The Tigers matched Ohio State with seven shots on target and generated 13 attempts overall to the Buckeyes’ 19.

Freshman forward Abby Forsgren led the Memphis attack with three shots, all on frame. Over her last three matches, she has now produced nine shots and seven on target, an early sign of a consistent threat.

In goal, Ava Galani worked the full 90 minutes and recorded four saves against a ranked, in-form Ohio State side.

The engine room was heavy on endurance. Ava Galani, Ava Gaida, Yuna Nagata, Evelyn Mackay, Casey, Natalie Dvorakova and Maira Boosman all logged the full 90. For Dvorakova and Boosman, it marked the first time in their collegiate careers they went wire to wire.

There were other firsts, too. Freshman Miyu Morota played a career-high 33 minutes. Neko Michell, Dvorakova and Grayson Williams each earned the first starts of their college careers, thrown straight into the fire against a top-10 opponent.

What’s next

Memphis now heads home looking to turn effort into a result.

The Tigers return to the Track and Soccer Complex on Sunday, Sept. 13, to face Kansas City, with kickoff set for 7 p.m. A response will be expected. How quickly this young group absorbs a night like Columbus may define what kind of season it becomes.