Entering last weekend, the Bobcats weren’t sure they would qualify for the Mid-American Conference Tournament.
Ohio (7-9, 3-2 MAC) not only defeated Kent State 3-2 in double overtime last Saturday, but it also was awarded the No. 2 seed in the MAC Tournament after all tiebreakers were decided.
In addition to their postseason berth, senior Luli Gomez Teruel was named the MAC player of the year Thursday, becoming just the fifth player in the program’s history to receive the honor.
The Bobcats will be taking on Miami Saturday for the second time in just 22 days, after Ohio recorded a 1-0 shutout.
“We’ve played really well the last few weeks. Even in our losses, we’ve been close to pulling out a win,” coach Neil Macmillan said. “We just have to keep this energy we have going.”
This will be the second consecutive year that the Bobcats will face the RedHawks in the opening round of the MAC Tournament.
Last year, Miami bested Ohio, defeating the Bobcats 3-2 in overtime, but Macmillan said this year’s team won’t be thinking about last year.
“What we did against (Miami) a couple weeks ago was good, but we have some other things we can do to improve upon that,” Macmillan said. “We just have to be ready for the changes they could throw at us, but we also know that if they change their style too much, we’ll have the advantage.”
Aside from the RedHawks and Bobcats, the other two teams to make it into the conference tournament were Kent State, the No. 1 seed, and Central Michigan, the No. 4 seed.
The Bobcats have had success against these teams this season, defeating Miami and Kent State, while losing to the Central Michigan on a controversial overtime goal Oct. 19.
“We have a lot of confidence going into this tournament because we know we can beat any other team in the tournament,” senior Katherine Fenzel said. “As a team, we’re all very comfortable going into these games.”
As was the situation last Saturday, the Bobcats will continue their do-or-die mentality in the semi final this weekend.
“We’ve had the all-or-nothing, survival mentality going for a little while now,” Fenzel said. “We know that we have to do and we’re going to do everything we can to keep playing.”
The Bobcats will play at 2 p.m. Friday and if they win, will play for the MAC Championship Saturday.
tj790511@ohiou.edu
