First-year head coach Aaron Rodgers and the Bobcats are finally off the snide.
Ohio won its first game of the season when it routed Eastern Kentucky 5-1 on Sunday. Each goal came from a different player, including a goal by Eastern Kentucky in the 63 minute.
After a Colonel goal in the 10 minute, the Bobcats proceeded to answer with five goals of their own in the 24, 53, 63, 65, and 72 minutes.
Each goal coming from a different foot is a feat Rodgers stressed to be important to the new style of attack he wants to install.
“If we can spread the scoring out over multiple people it allows for multiple threats, so teams will have to deal with not just one player who’s a threat, but alternatives,” Rodgers said.
This goal output shows that Ohio is finally starting to finish its chances after having plenty of attempts on goal and possession of the ball. That was the case on Sunday, when the Bobcats put 11 shots on frame, netting five of those past sophomore keeper Erika Wolfer.
Ohio also kept the pressure off its own net as senior goalkeeper Mattie Liston only faced two shots on goal the entire game, something the Bobcats could not do Friday when they hosted DePaul.
Ohio conceded three times on seven shots against the Blue Demons, with two of these goals coming in consecutive minutes to the same player. DePaul senior forward Natasa Radosavljevic scored in the 54 and 55 minutes to give the Blue Demons a 3-1 lead.
DePaul went on to win with that score as the Blue Demons’ aggression and speed overwhelmed the Bobcats.
“I give credit to them. We had a couple of mistakes and they capitalized,” Rodgers said. “If you look at the shots and the corner kick totals again we had the advantage. We have to finish our chances ... I said to the girls at halftime the game is going to be decided on a physical nature and physical battles and they just beat us in that battle in the second half.”
One of the lone bright spots on Friday came from the foot of junior midfielder Erin Feeney in the 36 minute, as she netted her first Bobcat goal off a conceded penalty kick from DePaul.
“Personally, I like taking PK’s. I’m very calm and not many people are,” Feeney said. “No one else really wanted to take it and everyone else was telling me to take it so I just stepped up and took it.”
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