For Ohio State, what was supposed to be a celebration of reaching the program’s second-ever College Cup turned to tragedy when Nathan Demian, a beloved redshirt junior, was taken to the hospital after suffering a gunshot wound as an innocent bystander just hours after the Elite Eight triumph. The starting defender had just played 84 minutes in the 3-0 defeat of Wake Forest and had grown into an impactful figure for the Buckeyes with 14 appearances over the season. In moments like that, soccer and sports are an afterthought, yet the team must play on, looking to honor their teammate with a strong performance.

Head Coach Brian Maisonneuve spoke to the state of the team in the days after the tragic incident. “It was a really unfortunate situation. The team has come together as a group, and we are definitely leaning on each other . . . Nate is an incredible teammate, an incredible person, and a fantastic player.”

Demian, who joined in 2021, is not just a talented leader on the team but also represents one of the remaining players to have witnessed the Ohio State revolution under Maisonneuve. The team won just one game when the former MLS All-Star took over in 2018 following the retirement of the legendary Jon Bluem. What followed that season was a slow and steady restructure to reach a College Cup six years later.

“I have an incredible staff that works so hard. We talked about it at the beginning, what we wanted to build in terms of how we wanted to defend, attack, and the culture we wanted at this program, and we have been consistent over the years. We have some seniors who have done a great job taking full advantage of the process, taking it to heart, and developing.”

The 2019 team won six more games than the 2018 squad but had an Achilles heel at their home stadium, going 1 and 7 at Jesse Owens Memorial. The 2021 iteration was much improved, with six wins at home, but developed a new weakness with no wins from eight on the road. The 2022 squad took a giant leap forward with the program’s first 10-win season in seven years, but that ended after one NCAA tournament game. Then, the 2023 squad took a minor step back with only six wins, but progress is rarely ever linear, so there were still some encouraging signs. All those teams helped create the culture and foundation of the success this current roster is enjoying, qualifying for the College Cup for just the second time in history and the first since 2007.

Now looking to reach the program’s first-ever national final, the Buckeyes, with heavy hearts, will look to their depth and leaders like Michael Adedokun, Anthony Samways, and Siggi Magnusson to do the job.

Ten Key Moments:

09/17/2024 - 5-0 victory over Penn State is their largest margin of victory since 2007.

10/04/2024 - Defeats Michigan 6-3 in a battle of unbeaten teams.

10/07/2024 - Defeats Washington 2-0 to begin season undefeated through 11, best start in program history.

10/17/2024 - Michael Adedokun comes in as the No. 5 ranked player in the TDS Midseason Player Rankings. Following are No. 21 Deylen Vellios, No. 68 Siggi Magnusson, and No. 92 Marko Borkovic.

10/21/2024 - TDS Midseason Freshman Rankings are released and David Ajagbe is ranked No. 25. Teammates joining on the list are No. 94 Patrick McLaughlin and No. 97 Nicholas McHenry.

10/28/2024 - Buckeyes reach No. 1 ranking and maintain position.

11/3/2024 - Defeats Maryland to win share of Big Ten regular season title for the first time since 2015.

11/8/2024 - Big Ten awards are announced. Michael Adedokun wins Midfielder of the Year and Brian Maisonneuve wins Coach of the Year. Adedokun, Siggi Magnusson, and Deylen Vellios are named to the First Team. Second Team selections are Marko Borkovic and Luciano Pechota. Ajagbe and Nick McHenry land on the All-Freshman Team.

11/17/2024 - Defeats Michigan to win the Big Ten tournament title.

12/7/2024 - Victory over Wake Forest confirms undefeated 10-0-4 home record and first College Cup trip since 2007.

Ten Key Statistics:

• Michael Adedokun is only player in country with double digit goals (11) and assists (11)

• Adedokun is third in nation with 11 assists

• 16 wins are the most in the country

• 14.76 fouls per game are 10th most in the country

• 12 different goal scorers

• Six players with five or more goals (Adedokun, Luciano Pechota, David Ajagbe, Marko Borkovic, David Wrona, Parker Grinstead)

• 10 shutouts are second most in the country

• One of two teams (Marshall) with just one loss

• Nine game unbeaten streak

• Has scored in 22 of 23 matches