The field hockey team will open its season this weekend at Pruitt Field against Boston and Syracuse.
This weekend will be quite the homecoming for coach Neil Macmillan and the Bobcats.
Ohio, which has not fielded a season opener at home since 2011, will match up against Boston and Syracuse for its first two games of 2014.
“I didn’t even realize it was that long since we have played a home opener,” Macmillan said. “That in itself is exciting. It’s going to be comfortable to not have to pack up and get on the road.”
In last year’s outing against Boston, Ohio fell 5-1 as then-senior Katherine Fenzel scored Ohio’s lone goal. Boston is coming off a year in which it went 13-7.
The last time Ohio and Syracuse played each other was in the fall of 2012 when the Bobcats lost 6-0.
“It’s not hard to (gameplan) around these teams. It’s actually a lot of fun,” Macmillan said. “That’s where we, as coaches, really enjoy our job — is putting it together on the field and executing it.”
In the Mid-American Conference preseason polls, Ohio is projected to finish fourth behind Miami, Kent State and Central Michigan, respectively.
“That’s a popularity poll,” Macmillan said. “Everyone votes for themselves and a couple of people make the decision matter. Ranking in the preseason and coaches poll is quite irrelevant. It’s a nice thing to promote the sport, but it doesn’t really mean anything.”
Some players weren’t very satisfied with the poll, but echoed Macmillan that it doesn’t hold much merit.
“I saw it yesterday and I was disappointed, because I thought we played quite well last season,” junior Adele Sammons said. “I think we shouldn’t pay too much attention to it.”
Sammons, who earned Second Team All-MAC honors last year after scoring two goals on 14 shots, said the first few games will be an adjustment period for Ohio, as it has 12 underclassmen on its roster.
“I think they’ve done really well throughout the preseason to mold in with us,” Sammons said. “There is a lot of them, so it’s just about training them down a bit. But we’ve gotten to know them pretty well and we’ve really gelled this preseason.”
In wake of the 2013 season when Ohio went 7-10 and placed second in the MAC, Macmillan expressed how important it is for his team to work out any kinks early on and find an identity on both sides of the ball. He also said he hopes to rely on every one of his players and not just two or three contributors.
The Bobcats will look to begin the season strong by playing five of their first six games at Pruitt Field, where they played just three games last year because of construction from installing the new turf.
“Every year we have the same expectations,” goalkeeper Brittany Walker said. “And that’s win as much during the season, get into the tournament and qualify for NCAAs.”
@Lukeoroark
lr514812@ohio.edu
