Ohio State Eyes Statement Win Against Memphis
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The stage feels a little bigger now at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.
Ohio State, unbeaten and climbing, walks into its final non-conference test on Sunday night ranked No. 8 in the coaches poll – the program’s highest perch since October 2024. Memphis, the lone American Conference side in the IWSOC Coaches’ Poll Top 25, arrives as a familiar spoiler.
The Tigers won the last meeting between these teams back in 2023. That result still lingers.
This time, the Buckeyes bring a different kind of momentum.
Buckeyes Rolling, Defense Locking In
Ohio State sits at 3-0-1, fresh off a ruthless 4-0 dismantling of Princeton at home. The scoreline told one story; the performance told another. The Buckeyes didn’t just win. They smothered.
The back line allowed only two shots on goal, giving goalkeeper Peighton Northrup a relatively calm night en route to the third shutout of her career. She needed just two saves to preserve it, another clean entry on the résumé of a player recently named B1G Goalkeeper of the Week.
The unit in front of her has turned stinginess into a habit. Opponents are struggling to find space, let alone rhythm.
Goals Coming From Everywhere
While the defense clamps down, the attack has started to show teeth.
Against Princeton, Ohio State struck early, late, and often. Amanda Schlueter set the tone in the opening minute, then closed the night with a penalty in the final minute to secure a brace. One touch to stun, one to underline the dominance.
Around her, the supporting cast delivered.
Freshman forward Mia Stevens finally had her breakthrough, burying her first collegiate goal off a sharp pass from Callie Tumilty. It was the kind of composed finish that can change a young player’s season – and maybe the shape of Ohio State’s front line.
Playmaker Jadin Bonham quietly ran the show, collecting two assists. She set up Schlueter’s opener, then threaded another ball for Elle Britt to find the net. When Bonham finds pockets of space and starts picking passes, the Buckeyes look like a top-10 team for a reason.
Memphis Brings the Test Ohio State Needs
Memphis arrives at 2-2-1, battle-tested and ranked, carrying the reputation of a program that rarely backs down from a challenge. The Tigers remain the only American Conference team in the IWSOC Coaches’ Poll Top 25, a solitary flag-bearer with nothing to fear in Columbus.
Ohio State’s record against current American Conference opponents stands at 2-1-1. Respectable, but not untouchable. Memphis already knows what it takes to beat the Buckeyes. That history gives Sunday’s match a sharper edge.
This is only the second all-time meeting between the two programs, yet it carries the feel of a measuring-stick game for both.
Final Tune-Up Before the Grind
For Ohio State, this is the last non-conference fixture before the B1G schedule hits full speed. No one in the locker room will say it out loud, but the stakes are clear: win, and the Buckeyes roll into league play unbeaten, ranked inside the top 10, and armed with another result over a top-25 opponent.
The program already owns 47 wins over ranked teams. One more, against a Memphis side that has earned its poll position, would fit neatly into a season that’s starting to look ambitious.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. Sunday at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. Admission and parking are free, the match streams live on B1G+, and the numbers say Ohio State should be confident.
The memory of 2023 says they can’t afford to be.
