Ohio State Aims for Statement Win Against Memphis
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The stakes feel bigger than the calendar suggests.
It’s only early September, but No. 8 Ohio State walks into Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium on Sunday night playing like a team already tuned for conference pressure. Memphis arrives as the lone American Conference representative in the IWSOC Coaches’ Poll Top 25, a program that has already stung the Buckeyes once and would love to do it again.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. in Columbus, with the match streaming on B1G+. Admission and parking, as always for Ohio State women’s soccer, are free. The price of the challenge is not.
Buckeyes in full stride
Ohio State’s 3-0-1 start isn’t just tidy on paper. It’s emphatic.
The Buckeyes’ latest outing, a 4-0 dismantling of Princeton at home, looked like a team hitting all the right notes. A back line that suffocated space. A goalkeeper in control. Attackers ruthless when chances appeared.
Mia Stevens finally had her moment, tucking away her first collegiate goal off a sharp feed from Callie Tumilty. It was the kind of composed finish that hints at more to come.
Then there was Amanda Schlueter, who turned the evening into her own personal bookend performance. She scored in the first minute, then buried a penalty in the last, a brace that framed Ohio State’s dominance from whistle to whistle.
Between those goals, the Buckeyes kept the ball moving and the pressure constant. Jadin Bonham quietly stitched the attack together, recording two assists — one on Schlueter’s opener and another on Elle Britt’s strike. It was efficient, direct, and ruthless.
At the other end, Peighton Northrup barely put a glove wrong. Two saves, third shutout of her career, and a defense in front of her that allowed Princeton just two shots on target. The numbers tell one story. The calm she projects tells another.
Northrup comes into Sunday as a recently named B1G Goalkeeper of the Week, a recognition that matches the way Ohio State has defended in front of her. This group doesn’t just defend leads; it strangles hope.
A familiar foil in Memphis
Memphis won the last meeting between these programs in 2023. That result still lingers.
This will be only the second all-time clash between the sides, but the Tigers have already established themselves as more than a passing non-conference opponent. At 2-2-1 on the season, they bring a mixed record but a clear pedigree, and they remain the American Conference’s only ranked team.
Ohio State has handled American opposition reasonably well over time, going 2-1-1 against teams currently in the league. Memphis, though, is the standard-bearer now, and that shifts the tone of this matchup.
For the Buckeyes, this is the final non-conference test before the grind of league play. It’s not just about another win; it’s about sharpening edges against a ranked, battle-tested side that has already proven it can beat them.
A night with meaning beyond September
Ohio State enters the weekend ranked No. 8 in the coaches poll, the program’s highest spot since October 2024. The climb reflects more than a hot start. It mirrors a team that has made a habit of stepping up when the lights brighten.
The Buckeyes own 47 wins over top-25 opponents in their history. That experience matters on nights like this, when a national poll number sits next to your name and the margin for error shrinks.
Memphis will not be overawed by the venue or the ranking. Ohio State will not be surprised by the Tigers’ intensity.
Free entry, cool September air, a top-10 team at home, and a ranked visitor with unfinished business. For a non-conference finale, it feels anything but routine.
By the final whistle on Sunday, we’ll know if Ohio State’s early-season surge is simply form — or the start of something far more serious.
