On a sunny day at Chessa Field on Sunday, each senior was given a bouquet of flowers, but it was the seniors who were in full bloom.
Senior midfielder Cat Roger’s goal paced Ohio to a 1-0 victory and moved in an eighth-place tie with Buffalo with one game remaining before the Mid-American Conference tournament.
Ohio senior defender Paige Howard said Ohio did a good job of rebounding after losing to Toledo on Friday.
“It was tough, obviously we go head to head with Toledo a lot but we knew we had to win to hopefully make a chance into the playoffs,” Howard said. “I think it was huge; we came out here hard and we got the job done.”
The Bobcats tested the Huskies’ defense early and generated several chances to score in the first half, two off the foot of sophomore forward Liz Finley in the first half, but could not capitalize on them.
Ohio’s defense was strong throughout, allowing Northern Illinois to get only one shot on goal in the half. Ohio held posession on Northern Illinois’ side often in the first half, forcing four corner kicks.
The Huskies came out with a spark, getting two quick shots on goal in the first three minutes of the second half adding nine more throughout the half.
But Ohio’s first-half efforts paid off late in the match.
Rogers scored in the 60th minute off an assist from sophomore midfielder Erin Feeney’s free kick. The ball was misplayed by the Huskies’ goalie, Amy Carr, and bounced into the net.
Rogers moved into a tie for ninth place on Ohio’s all-time career goals list, passing Nicki Pendleton, who played from 1998 to 2001.
Ohio coach Stacy Strauss said she was pleased with her team’s toughness Sunday.
“I was proud of their effort,” Strauss said. “I thought that, as expected, Northern brought a very physical game and they were direct and that required us to be very organized and battle with them in the air and I thought that we did that.”
Ohio’s defense kept Northern Illinois off the scoreboard, despite having several chances to equalize in the second half. The Huskies had a corner kick with five seconds left in the match, but couldn’t capitalize.
Rogers said the win was crucial for Ohio and the team played its best game of the year in terms of battling.
“It’s huge,” Rogers said. “I think it sparks a bit of life into our team. We’re still in the running, we’re not completely down and out, so I think it’s a huge boost and hopefully it will carry over to Kent State.”
mk277809@ohiou.edu
