Game One
Date/Time: Thursday, Aug. 22 | 8:00 PM
Location: Columbus, Ohio | Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium
Teams: Cleveland State (0-0-0) vs. Ohio State (0-0-0) 
Follow: Video | Stats

Opening Whistle
Cleveland State starts the season on the road for the second straight year as the Vikings travel to Ohio State for an 8 p.m. kickoff tomorrow night.

Season Openers
The Vikings are 1-3-1 all-time in openers under coach Ubiparipovic, with that win coming in 2022 against Canisius at home, 4-0.

About the Buckeyes
Ohio State is coming off a 6-6-6 campaign and welcomes back All-Big Ten Second Teamers Michael Adedokun, Siggy Magnusson, and Luciano Pechota, along with Andre Roberts, an All-Big Ten Freshman Team member.

Series History
Cleveland State holds a 16-12-2 advantage in the matchups, with the last meeting in 2022 ending in a 0-0 draw on Krenzler Field. The Vikings last visit to Columbus in 2021 saw the Buckeyes claim a 2-0 victory. 

Preseason Summary
The Vikings played two exhibition contests, traveling to the University of Michigan before hosting Duquesne.

Ubiparipovic Background
Sinisa Ubiparipovic enters his sixth year as the head men's soccer coach at Cleveland State University. In his five seasons, the Vikings are 35-33-11 overall (.513 winning percentage), and 22-16-7 (.567 winning percentage) in league play.

A Look Back at Last Season
Cleveland State endured a challenging schedule in 2024, finishing with three wins and four draws. Two players brought in All-League awards, Pablo Kawecki on the First Team and Kyle Folds on the Second Team. Off the field, Albert Portas and Kawecki were named to the #HLMSOC All-Academic squad.

Key Returners
Cleveland State welcomes back Kyle Folds, a graduate-student that earned Second Team All-League honors last season. Bojan Kolevski, the 2022 #HLMSOC Player of the Year and 2021 Horizon League Offensive Player of the Year is back after missing part of last season with an injury.

Up Next
The Vikings open its home slate on Sunday, Aug. 25 at 4 p.m. versus St. Bonaventure.