Some of the best lessons can come from the most difficult losses. If that is true, the Bobcats are learning a lot.
Ohio (2-3) fell to Cleveland State (3-2) 3-0 Sunday after a strong performance Friday, when they posted a 1-0 win against Marshall (1-3).
Coach Stacy Strauss believes this was only a slight misstep and will be used as a tough lesson. All three goals came in the first half of the game as Cleveland State piled the pressure onto a sleeping Bobcat squad.
“It’s pretty inexplicable. We went from having a solid performance on Friday to easily our worst performance in practice or game yet this year,” Strauss said.
“Credit to (Cleveland State) for taking advantage. We cannot come out not prepared and get outworked in the first ten minutes and lose our composure.”
Though Ohio fell behind early Sunday, the players came out in the second half and were able to stop the bleeding. They produced play similar to what Strauss believes her players are capable of.
“We want to certainly build on the second half and what we did on Friday,” she said. “We want to completely ensure we don’t have the kind of performance that we had in the first half.”
The Bobcats defeated Marshall on the road with the winning goal coming from a free kick by senior Kelsey Pichel. It was her second goal of the season.
“(Pichel) is playing well. She definitely worked very hard in the offseason on finishing, and she has continued to do additional work this fall,” Strauss said. “It was good to see her get rewarded with a set piece goal.”
Pichel was not the only player that stood out. Sophomore goalkeeper Mattie Liston kept the ball out of the net to make her third on the list for all-time shutouts for the Bobcats.
“She is a player that we depend on quite a bit and has all the capabilities to be a player that is worthy of all the recognitions that she has received and more,” Strauss said.
The Bobcats were picked to finish fourth in the Mid-American Conference, but it is not a focus for the team. Instead, the players are using the non-conference play to prepare for conference games.
“It is certainly something that when it came out, we mentally saw a good challenge,” Strauss said. “But that is why we have this weeks leading up to conference play … to sort out all our issues and learn from each game and get better.”
The majority of the focus for the games and practice has been on possession and how the team is pressuring opponents. While the Bobcats might not show it, Ohio is taking the steps in the right direction with a loss followed up by an impressive win.
The next three non-conference games feature the Bobcats taking the field against Morehead State, Ohio State and Indiana State before the conference opener against Eastern Michigan.
“We aren’t really thinking about conference play just yet,” Strauss said. “We’re thinking about Morehead State.”
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