Field Hockey news and notes heading into Friday's opener against St. Francis (PA):
1. Coach Neil Macmillan Making History
Macmillan only needs to lead his Bobcats to two more victories to become the all-time winningest coach in Ohio field hockey history.
He enters his 12th season as the longest tenured field hockey coach in Mid-American Conference. Macmillan has coached Ohio to four MAC championships as well as two NCAA tournament appearances during his tenure.
2. Scoring early
Scoring first in field hockey is crucial, especially in such a low-scoring sport. Ohio’s 2015 season was a perfect example of that. The Bobcats scored first in each of their eight victories last year. Furthermore, Ohio’s opposition scored first in eight of the 10 losses for the Bobcats.
3. Replacing Adele Sammons and Clarissa Leickly
Adele Sammons and Clarissa Leickly led the Bobcats in virtually every offensive category last season. Sammons led the team in both assists and points and Leickly was first in shots and shots on goal.
Junior Maria Russell will be a part of Ohio’s solution to fill the offensive void Sammons and Leickly left. She scored 12 of the Bobcats’ 41 goals last year, which led the MAC and marked a career high for the Hudson native.
4. Who Will Defend the Net for the Bobcats?
Sophomore Alex Pennington saw game action in Ohio’s 8-0 exhibition loss to Louisville last Thursday, however, senior Lina Trucco was the main goalkeeper last year for the Bobcats.
Trucco recorded over 1,200 minutes in goal compared to Pennington’s 58. Additionally, Trucco’s goals against average was lower than Pennington’s, as she saved 81 shots to Pennington’s eight over the course of the year.
5. Deja Vu for the Bobcats
Ohio will begin its 2016 season just like it did last year: with a match against Saint Francis (PA). The Bobcats defeated the Red Flash last year by a score of 2-0 in Loretto, Pennsylvania, behind goals from Russell and Leickly. Ohio was also voted third in the MAC Preseason Coaches’ Poll for the second consecutive year.
@Matt_Fout
mf056713@ohio.edu
