Unlike last Saturday’s game against Central Michigan, there was no need to dispute the outcome of the Bobcats’ matchup with Miami, as aggressive play on both ends of the field left no doubt about Ohio’s 1-0 win when the final horn sounded Wednesday at Pruitt Field.
“Every time we play Miami, it’s an exciting game for the team,” senior Andrea Biegalski said. “But it’s even more exciting to beat them. This feels great.”
The Bobcats’ (6-8, 2-1 Mid-American Conference) game plan of aggressive defense was evident in the first half when they held the RedHawks (8-8, 2-1 MAC) to just two shots.
Unfortunately for Ohio, the Bobcats were unable to convert the defense into offense. Ohio was unsuccessful on a few breakaway opportunities and had a shot deflected out of bounds on a corner attempt.
“After the first half, coach (Neil) Macmillan told us to stick to our game plan,” Biegalski said. “In the first half, we just weren’t able to convert on any of our offensive opportunities. But we stuck to it and in the second half it worked.”
After halftime, the Bobcats jumped on the RedHawks with a goal just two minutes into the half.
Senior Luli Gomez Teruel drove to the top of the circle and rifled a shot past the goalkeeper for her 11th goal of the season.
“It always feels great to score,” Gomez Teruel said. “But it feels better to win and even better than that to beat Miami. I’m glad that I could score in a situation like this.”
Miami did all they could to tie the game before regulation ended, but the Bobcats halted the RedHawks’ scoring attempts with aggressive defense and timely steals.
Ohio will look to use Wednesday as a springboard for the rest of their season.
The Bobcats have two regular season games remaining before they head to Oxford for the MAC Tournament on Nov. 8. However, it is hard to deny the importance of the Bobcats’ win against Miami, especially for the seniors.
“I hope this isn’t the last time that we play Miami, but if it is, I couldn’t be happier that we won,” Biegalski said. “I love beating Miami, and I’m sure a lot of the other students here would feel the same way.”
The Bobcats have two days off before they hit the road again. They will travel to Muncie, Ind. to take the field against Ball State Saturday for Ohio’s final regular season road game.
tj790511@ohiou.edu
