With the Mid-American Conference season set to begin this weekend at Chessa Field, it’s time for the Bobcats to deliver and begin their campaign for a conference title.
Ohio will host Bowling Green (0-6) and Central Michigan (0-7-1) this weekend after finishing its non-conference slate with a record of 4-2-2, including an unbeaten streak during the past five games.
The Bobcats have not lost a match since August and recorded shutouts in each of their past two games, in a 1-0 victory against Youngstown State and a scoreless, double-overtime tie with Cleveland State.
This season has been one of firsts, which will continue this weekend when head coach Aaron Rodgers experiences his first MAC games at the helm of the Bobcats. His new attacking style on offense worked well during the non-conference schedule, but will be another task to execute against familiar competition for MAC play.
“We’re creating a lot of chances, we just have to start finishing them,” Rodgers said. “We’ve had some games where we’ve scored multiple goals and we need to find that touch again.”
Bowling Green, which will come to Ohio on Friday, has struggled so far this season, not only at putting the ball in the net, but also keeping the ball out of its own.
As the Falcons’ winless record reflects, they have been dismal against the likes of weak competition such as Detroit, Evansville and Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, but Rodgers said that the MAC schedule is a new season where everyone starts with a clean slate.
“To start off the MAC with wins would be fantastic so we have to take it one at a time,” he said. “I think they (Bowling Green) are going to come in with the same mentality that we are-we’re both 0-0-and whatever happened in pre-conference happened in pre-conference it’s the MAC play so everyone is even.”
“They’re going to come in and they struggled a bit in pre-conference, but it doesn’t matter. Both teams’ start 0-0 and they want to start good like we do.”
Unlike than Bowling Green, the Chippewas enter MAC play having played one of the strongest schedules in the conference.
However, Central Michigan is also searching for its first victory and, like Ohio, is in the midst of its first season under head coach Peter McGahey. The Chippewas will play the Bobcats on Sunday.
Central Michigan has been to the NCAA Tournament three of the past four seasons and also has boasted three of the past four MAC defensive player of the year winners.
“Central Michigan has always been a good power in our conference and for us to have them at home our first week is fantastic,” said Rodgers.
ak840511@ohiou.edu
@Kovarandrew
UP NEXT
4 p.m. Friday
Ohio vs. Bowling Green
1 p.m. Sunday
Ohio vs. Central Michigan
