Ohio State Defeats Memphis 3–1 in Columbus
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Memphis walked into Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium on Sunday night with a ranking, momentum, and a point to prove. Ohio State sent them home with a lesson.
The No. 8 Buckeyes overpowered No. 23 Memphis 3–1, striking twice before halftime and adding a third just as the Tigers were beginning to stir. Mihiro Furuya’s late response gave Memphis a lifeline, but not enough time.
Ohio State moves to 4-0-1. Memphis slips to 2-3-1.
Buckeyes seize control early
The tone changed in the 15th minute.
Off a corner, the ball dropped kindly for Elle Britt, and she punished Memphis, firing in the opener to give Ohio State a 1–0 lead and immediate control of the night.
Memphis tried to settle, tried to stitch passes together and find a foothold. The Tigers generated looks, but the Buckeyes’ pressure kept them pinned just enough to feel uncomfortable.
Then came the second blow.
With halftime approaching, Callie Tumilty picked her moment. She whipped a cross into the box in the 41st minute, and Amanda Schlueter arrived to meet it, slotting home for 2–0. The timing hurt as much as the goal. Memphis went into the break chasing shadows and a two-goal deficit.
Britt and Schlueter combine again
Any hope of a second-half surge took a heavy hit just past the hour.
In the 69th minute, Schlueter turned provider. She found Britt in space, and the forward did the rest, tucking away her second of the match to make it 3–0. The Buckeyes had their cushion; Memphis had a mountain.
Ohio State finished with 19 shots, seven on target. They asked constant questions of the Memphis back line and forced the Tigers to defend long spells without relief.
Goalkeeper Ava Galani answered as often as she could, recording four saves while going the full 90.
Furuya strikes, Tigers push late
Memphis refused to fold.
In the 79th minute, the Tigers finally carved open the Buckeyes. Ally Casey drove a cross into the box, and Furuya pounced, nudging it over the line for her first goal of the season and the third of her career. The deficit shrank to 3–1, and suddenly the tempo shifted.
Memphis surged forward in the final 10 minutes, throwing numbers into the attack and testing Ohio State’s composure. The Tigers finished with 13 shots, seven on frame, forcing Buckeyes goalkeeper Peighton Northrup into six saves.
Abby Forsgren again led the way in creating danger. The freshman fired three shots and put all three on target, extending her run to nine shots and seven on goal over her last three matches.
Heavy minutes, new milestones
On a night where the scoreline stung, the workload and milestones stood out.
Seven Tigers – Ava Galani, Ava Gaida, Yuna Nagata, Evelyn Mackay, Casey, Natalie Dvorakova and Maira Boosman – went the distance, each logging the full 90 minutes. For Dvorakova and Boosman, it marked the first time in their collegiate careers they’ve stayed on the pitch from whistle to whistle.
Freshman Miyu Morota set a new personal mark as well, playing a career-high 33 minutes.
The starting lineup carried fresh faces too. Neko Michell, Dvorakova and Grayson Williams all earned their first collegiate starts, stepping into a high-pressure environment against a top-10 opponent.
What’s next
Memphis now turns back home, where the response will matter more than the rankings on the scoreboard in Columbus.
The Tigers return to the Track and Soccer Complex on Sunday, September 13, to host Kansas City at 7 p.m. A tough road loss is in the books. The real question is how quickly this group turns it into fuel.
