Following her team’s shutout win against Miami yesterday, Ohio’s Taylor Brown had ice on her left wrist.
But neither the chilly weather nor the minor injury could bother her too much — she was just excited about the Bobcats’ perfect start against Mid-American Conference teams this fall.
“It’s been a good weekend,” Brown said. “Energy has been high. It’s MAC play, so obviously it’s a big deal.
“We just kind of set our mind to it. We have to win these games in order to set ourselves up for the rest of the season.”
With the 2-0 victory against the RedHawks, Ohio improved its record to 10-2 overall and 3-0 in the MAC. Saturday, the Bobcats clobbered Ball State by running away with a 9-1 win. In that game, Brown and Brooke Edwards each had two goals, and Cathryn Altdoerffer added a hat trick. Katherine Fenzel and Jessica Jue also scored in the blowout.
“We played about as well as we could in the first half,” said coach Neil Macmillan, whose Bobcats led 7-0 at the break. “Second half, it’s hard when you’ve got such a big lead, but we did a really good job of controlling that game.”
But as easygoing as that win might have been, the mood yesterday against Miami was a bit more intense.
Seven shots from Ohio in the first half resulted in zero goals, and Macmillan must have been reminded of his team’s first loss this season. Facing a less-talented Robert Morris team, the Bobcats recorded 16 shots before falling 1-0 in overtime.
“We could have done something in the first half to take care of the game,” Macmillan said, “and then you’re not on tenterhooks a little bit going into the second half.
“It took awhile for us to settle down and get that two-goal lead, which was comfortable.”
Jessica Vaeth broke the scoreless tie with a breakaway goal 10 minutes into the second half. Brown assisted on the goal, which was Vaeth’s first of the season.
With five minutes left in the game, Ohio doubled its lead thanks to Andrea Biegalksi, who used a penalty corner to score her first goal this year. Lauryl Desch was credited with the assist.
Last year, Miami knocked the Bobcats out of the MAC tournament in the semifinals. Macmillan said the season-ending defeat was basically ancient history, but Brown acknowledged it was not something the team had forgotten.
She was in high spirits after yesterday’s win and said her injury would not cause her to miss any action. This time of the year is just “too important.”
me811508@ohiou.edu
