COLUMBUS, Ohio – No. 20 Ohio State set the tone with an early strike on its way to a 4-0 win over SIUE Friday in each team's first game at the Wolstein Classic at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.

The Cougars slipped to 0-1-1 with the defeat. Ohio State, ranked 20^th in the most recent United Soccer Coaches poll, improved to 2-0-1.

Deylen Vellious got the Buckeyes on the board in the 11^th minute when he found the back of the net with a low strike. Michael Adedokun made it 2-0 OSU in 27^th minute.

The Buckeyes took the 2-0 lead into the break along with an 11-2 advantage in shots.

The Buckeyes' third tally came in the 67^th minute when David Ajagbe picked scored with an assist from Vellious. Marko Borkovic closed out the scoring in the 71^st minute.

Ohio State outshot SIUE 17-8 in the game. The second half was even 6-6. The Buckeyes put 10 shots on goal compared to two for the Cougars.

Nic Muench paced the SIUE offense with three shots. Wes Gibson finished with a pair of shots. Jake Karolczak and Zach Renz each finished with a shot on goal.

Rob Gjelaj made six saves over the game's first 81-plus minutes. Sophomore Ethan Kornas saw his first career regular season minutes, playing the final 8:23.

Ohio State starting goalkeeper Patrick McLaughlin also played 81:37. He made a single save. The Buckeyes' backup RJ Stoller also made a single save over the final 8:23.

The Cougars continue play at the Classic with a Sunday matchup against Dayton. Kickoff is slated for 2 p.m. CT.