The 2026 season could not be starting any better for the men’s soccer team at the University of Memphis. After they got their campaign under way with a solid 2-0 road win against Belmont, the Tigers returned home for a formidable test against the might North Carolina Tar Heels. Because of a power outage at South Campus, the game was moved to the stadium at nearby Mike Rose Soccer Complex. The change of venue did not dampen the mood and a raucous crowd took in a thrilling match that Memphis won by a score of 3-2. Now, the Tigers must face their second straight power conference opponent as they travel to Columbus to take on the Ohio State Buckeyes.
It’s difficult to overstate just how big of a win Monday’s night game against North Carolina was for the Memphis program. In what has historically been a tremendously difficult job, Coach Richard Mulrooney looked like he had the program on a major upswing as the Tigers made the NCAA Tournament in 2022, won their first-ever NCAA Tournament game in 2023, and won their conference’s regular season title in 2024 and with it, conference tournament hosting rights. But last year was a very tough season, as they posted a very dispiriting 4-8-3 record and failed to even qualify for the conference tournament. Monday’s win against North Carolina has gone a long way in showing that the Memphis program is much closer to where they were in 2022, 2023, and 2024 and that 2025 was more of a blip on the radar, rather than a reversion to the mien. Should they go on the road to Ohio State and come away with a result, it would certainly start to feel like this team is capable of anything.
When it comes to men’s college soccer, Ohio State might not have the bluest of blood the way North Carolina does, but they are still a program with notable achievements. They played for a national title in 2007 (losing to Wake Forest) and returned to the College Cup in 2024, falling to Marshall in the semi-final. Between those two College Cup appearances, they made another six trips to the NCAA Tournament. This year, the Buckeyes are ranked #22 in the country after a 2-0 start. They got the season started with a 1-0 home victory against Virginia Tech before demolishing DePaul on Monday by a score of 6-0. But they haven’t been pressure much yet this year, as goalkeeper Patrick McLaughlin has only had to save three shots so far. With five goals in two games, Memphis might be just the team to finally test the Buckeye defense.
When, Where
Date: Friday, August 28, 2026
Stadium: Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium
City: Columbus, OH
Time: 7pm
TV: B1G+
All-Time Series
Memphis trails 0-2-0
Last Meeting
Date: Friday, August 27, 2021
Stadium: Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium
City: Columbus, OH
Result: Memphis 2-3 Ohio State
Next Game
Date: Monday, August 31, 2026
Match-Up: Memphis @ Butler
Stadium: Bud and Jackie Sellick Bowl
City: Indianapolis, IN
Time: 5pm
TV: ESPN+
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