The Ohio soccer team begins the Mid-American Conference Tournament today against Kent State, just three weeks after the preseason MAC favorite's season seemed to be slipping away.
As Ohio's October 17th match against Miami stretched into double overtime, tied 0-0, the shadow of the grandstand stretched across Chessa Field as the sun began to set.
At the time, one couldn't help but think the sun was setting on not just the game, but the season as well.
It was Ohio's fifth venture of the season into overtime, and the Bobcats had not won in any of the first four. The Bobcats were winless in their previous six, and anything short of winning all four remaining MAC games might have dashed their hopes of even qualifying for postseason play.
It felt eerily similar to all of the other overtime games
Ohio coach Stacy Strauss said. We were dominating we were creating chances and we just weren't finishing.
Two minutes into the second overtime, however, midfielder Carolyn Valade found herself wide open on the right side of Miami's goal, 12 yards out. Ohio back Jennifer Wright saw her and threaded a pass through the Miami defense.
Valade, Ohio's senior co-captain, had not scored all season. Her role as Ohio's stopper in the midfield had kept her largely out of the Bobcats' offensive end. But Strauss decided to try something different, letting Valade slide forward to attack the goal.
It worked. She took Wright's pass and put the ball past Miami's goalkeeper for the win. The Bobcats have not lost since.
There were a lot of nerves going into that Strauss said. When Carolyn scored and we won that game
it was a release of so many emotions for the players and coaches. I think we all knew at that point that we had broken through and that we would be all right.
Ohio had indeed broken through. Today the Bobcats (9-9-1 overall, 6-5-1 MAC) visit Kent State (12-4-3, 8-8-2 MAC) for a MAC Tournament quarterfinal match.
The Bobcats got to today's game by winning their final three conference matches after beating Miami. They sat in 11th in the MAC just three weeks ago, but the late-season surge put Ohio into a fifth-place tie to end the season.
Ohio lost at Kent State, 2-0, in its first weekend of conference play, but midfielder Natalie Grein said the Bobcats have put their early-season struggles behind them.
That was one of our first games of the conference and it was rough
she said. We've grown a lot as a team. We've learned to play to each other's strengths and we've actually been more composed.
Still, the Golden Flashes make for a formidable opponent. They play on a small field where they are 8-1-1 and have allowed just five goals. Despite Ohio's 2-7-1 road record, Strauss said the excitement of the postseason will outweigh the difficulties of playing away from home.
The situation will be the motivation itself
she said. We've been saying now for several weeks
'Do or die. This is a must win game
' because we knew we had to win out to get ourselves into the tournament. We've done that
so I think that's proof positive that they're capable of playing under that pressure.
The Bobcats have focused on their own play all season rather than centering game plans on their opponents. Forward/midfielder Kelly Prandi said the Bobcats are not intimidated by the Golden Flashes.
What we've been doing the last couple weeks has been effective
she said. We want to win so much. As long as we play our best
we won't have to adjust to them. Hopefully they'll have to adjust to us.
The Bobcats hope to continue their run from the setting sun at 2 p.m. today against Kent State at Kent State Soccer Field in Kent.
