Ohio upset Central Michigan in overtime to clinch a spot in its tenth-straight postseason.
About two weeks ago, the Bobcats were in danger of missing out on the Mid-American Conference Tournament for the first time since coach Neil Macmillan took over the program in 2004.
Saturday, however, Ohio won its second-straight game and clinched a berth into this year’s tournament after eclipsing Central Michigan 3-2 thanks to an overtime goal from senior Caelyn Hartley in the opening minutes.
Hartley ran almost the entirety of the field and past many defenders to upset Central Michigan, which began the day with a perfect MAC record. The goal was Hartley's first this season and the sixth of her career.
“The overtime goal was amazing,” Macmillan said. “It was the goal of the season, without a doubt. She went a long, long way to score that goal. She outran all of the Central Michigan team, pretty much, to get down to the other end."
The Bobcats (4-9, 3-2 MAC) outshot the Chippewas 12-7 and jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the first half. Junior Adele Sammons scored off a rebound in the fifth minute, and freshman Elena Curley extended the lead with her first collegiate goal during the 28th minute.
Central Michigan (6-10, 4-1 MAC) cut into the deficit five minutes later, however, as senior forward Cayleigh Immelman scored her first goal of the matchup in the 33rd minute. Immelman then tied the game at two apiece on the 42nd minute, but the effort was insufficient as Hartley’s goal knocked Central Michigan off the top spot in the MAC.
Redshirt senior Lauryl Desch led the game with three shots — two of which were on goal. Goalie Brittany Walker notched three saves in the win, giving the Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, native 53 saves on the year.
“Much much better performance today,” Macmillan said. “We started and played a very good first half, and we built a good two nothing lead. The second half we didn’t play a good game — we didn’t get down the field as much as we needed to. However, we hung on and got a goal in overtime.”
With the win, Ohio will now play for positioning to move up to second place in the MAC. Central Michigan still has to play now first-place Kent State (8-8, 5-0 MAC) and a loss could propel the Bobcats into second.
“I’m happy with the result and I think it puts us in the MAC Tournament for sure,” Macmillan said. “Much better effort against one of the premier teams in the conference and really putting together good play at the right time of the year, and it’s exciting to go into the MAC Tournament with this type of play.”
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