Big Ten Player of the Year headed to Toronto

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State senior forward Xavier Balc was the second overall selection by Toronto Thursday in Major League Soccer’s Supplemental Draft. Following the four-round MLS SuperDraft last Friday in which OSU junior Roger Espinoza was the 11th pick and senior defender Eric Bruner was the 16th, the national runner-up Buckeyes set a program record with three players drafted from their 2007 squad.

That brings the total number of Buckeyes who have become MLS draft picks to 10, all coming this decade from an Ohio State program that has won three Big Ten titles during that time and advanced to its first College Cup last month.

Balc, who set an Ohio State record with 14 assists and added eight goals last season, was named the 2007 Big Ten Player of the Year and was a first-team All-American. During the last three seasons, the Buckeyes went 32-3-2 when Balc had a goal or an assist.

“This is an honor for me and I am very excited about being selected by Toronto,” Balc said of the city that is only four hours north of his hometown of Hudson, Ohio. “I have been there many times and really enjoy the city. I would have liked to have been selected last Friday in the SuperDraft, but either way I know I have to get ready to work my butt off to try to earn a spot on the team.”

Ohio State’s all-time assist leader with 35 in his four-year career, Balc was named the most outstanding offensive player of the Big Ten championship last November when he scored both goals in Ohio State’s 1-0 wins over Michigan and Northwestern and converted one of the Buckeyes’ five penalty kicks in the shootout win over Indiana.

Balc ranks third all-time at Ohio State in points with 81 from 23 goals and 35 assists and he delivered 11 game-winning goals in his career, including five last season for the 17-4-5 Buckeyes.

### OhioStateBuckeyes.com ###

Contact: Tim Stried, stried.3@osu.edu