Ohio will play its final game of the season Thursday at Chessa Field against Kent State
Other than personal pride, Ohio has nothing else to play for as it hosts Kent State on Thursday to close the 2014 season.
The Bobcats will miss the Mid-American Conference Tournament for the first time since 2008, after sliding down the conference standings during their five-game losing-streak.
“In any group, it can be a little down,” said coach Aaron Rodgers. “I think they had a competitive practice (Tuesday), and they’ll be able to rebound knowing that it’s the last game for the seniors at home.”
Ohio began its losing streak Oct. 12 against Miami, the first time the team had to play without senior captain and center back Gabby Hausfeld, who suffered a season-ending leg injury the match before.
Rodgers said her loss wasn’t the only factor hurting the Bobcats’ efforts to get into postseason play, however.
“Obviously Gabby is a great leader and a great player, but Megan (Niebuhr) has come in and done a great job,” he said. “There are a bunch of different issues that have led to this poor run of form. It always hurts when you lose a leader.”
In addition to losing its captain, Ohio also lost its identity in front of the goal. Sophomore forward Alexis Milesky leads the squad with five goals, but after her, no other player has scored more than twice.
Throughout the year, Rodgers stressed the importance of an attacking prowess, especially to go along with the team’s forward-thinking mentality. In nearly every interview, he’s reiterated that importance and said more emphasis was put on the final third. Ultimately, the results went astray.
But that won’t stop the Bobcats from entering Thursday’s fixture with the same tactics they’ve attempted all season.
Although its tournament hopes are shattered, Ohio still has an opportunity to beat Kent State, which needs a win or draw to make a push for a MAC tournament spot.
“We’ll continue to go with the way we’ve been playing,” Rodgers said. “The games we’ve been successful in, we’ve used the same formation and personnel … if we win Thursday, we’ll have equaled our win total for last year and we’ll have bettered our win total in the MAC.”
The schools also met to end the 2013 season, with Ohio falling 2-1 at home. Rodgers expects the Golden Flashes to play a direct style, implying that they’ll play the ball into space and try to catch the Bobcats off guard, as opposed to a focus on possession.
“Our competitive level has to be at its highest,” Rodgers said. “We’ve got to be willing to compete … If we can improve on that and show our quality tactically, which we have shown throughout the season from time to time, then I think we’ll be able to win the game.”
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