Players on the Ohio State men’s club soccer team huddle together during its game against Michigan’s men’s club soccer team. Ohio State lost 1-0 to Michigan on Oct. 11, 2026. Credit: Courtesy of Ohio State men’s club soccer.
When the sun goes down, the lights at Lincoln Tower Park field spark on.?
For three nights of the week, the 32 members of the Ohio State men’s club soccer team can be seen participating in drills and scrimmages across the turf.?
The club holds two-hour practices, on Mondays from 8:30-10:30 p.m. and Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10 p.m. to midnight.
The club team won a national championship in 2014 and has three runner-up finishes within the past decade, establishing itself as one of the premier club teams in the country.?
However, they do not have all the benefits of a varsity sport at the university.
Members of the club team have to cover costs such as league fees, referee fees, jerseys and soccer balls.??
In addition, the team plays a schedule that includes multiple games on one day. On Sept. 27, the club team played Ohio University and Xavier. They won their game over Xavier 3-0 and drew 1-1 against Ohio.
The members themselves are involved with making their schedule.?
“We have two doubleheaders, and that’s mostly due to the fact that scheduling conflicts exist,” Jacob Rashid, club president, midfielder and fourth-year in finance said. “I spent probably a month trying to get our schedule together.”
But the differences go beyond the scheduling and financial obligations.
For hopeful members, the challenge comes before the season even starts with a four-day tryout period held in August for potential new members. The first two days serve as open tryouts before transitioning to two invite-only days.?
Rashid said the tryout process was vigorous, but rewarding.
“[It] helps mold you into a player for this team,” Rashid said.?
However, with many returning players, roster spots are limited. Rashid explained the club usually has 140-150 kids try out each year, with about 10 spots available for newcomers. The team determines who makes the team by considering the players they lost and positions they need to fill.?
Rashid reflected on his own tryout that he had while attempting to join the team as a freshman.
“It’s definitely one of the most nerve-wracking moments I’ve had at Ohio State so far,” Rashid said.
Despite the demanding process and added responsibilities that club soccer entails, the Buckeyes have remained consistently strong in their on-field performance, setting them apart from other teams they face.?
“Majority of us show up every night and put in a lot of hard work, so consistency for sure,” Grady Labishak, a third-year in economics and winger, said.
Last season, the Buckeyes finished with a 10-0-0 record, outscoring their opponents by a total of 45 goals in the Eastern Division of the Midwest Alliance Soccer Conference, or MASC.?
Six games into its 2026 season the club is 4-1-1, with its lone loss coming to Michigan 1-0 on Oct. 11.
Rashid said culture is one of the driving forces behind that success for the 32 members.?
“It just comes from our seniors and trickles down to the freshmen,” Rashid said.
The Buckeyes have three games left on their regular season schedule, with home games against Cincinnati Sunday, Miami (Ohio) on Oct. 30 and Case Western on Nov. 6.
To qualify for the postseason, Ohio State will either have to finish atop the MASC East Division or secure a wild-card spot. From there, the team would advance to the MASC Regional Tournament, in which the team would compete for a national title at the NIRSA National Championship Series.
Although the players look to compete, the benefits of being on the team extend past competition.?
“You make basically 30 friends and it’s just a family,” Labishak said.
