There were four closely-missed goals in a span of three minutes.
Sydney Leckie, Abby Townsend and Maddie Young all got great looks at the goal in the second overtime, but none of them could put the Vikings away.
As the second overtime started to wind down, it seemed like the match was ending in a draw. Ohio’s winning streak was bound to come to a halt.
Then, with 38 seconds left, Alivia Milesky stepped up.
Similar to how she set up Townsend for her game-winning goal against Eastern Kentucky on Aug. 22, Milesky received the pass from Townsend at the front of the net with pressure around her, kept her cool and secured a 2-1 Ohio (3-0) victory over Cleveland State (1-1-1).
The win over the Vikings is already Ohio’s second overtime victory of the year. It also means that Ohio is 3-0 for the first time in program history.
“All I was thinking was to get any piece of body on that ball,” Milesky said.
In the second overtime, the Bobcats caught a second wind and attempted five shots in the 10-minute period, matching the number they recorded in both the first and second half.
Head coach Aaron Rodgers saw the second overtime as another example of Ohio’s resilience and ability to stay in games until the final second.
“Our emotional connectedness to each other, the commitment for each other to fight for each other, really pushed us through and helped us,” Rodgers said.
The Bobcats closed the game aggressively and opened the game aggressively, as they shot four times in the first 16 minutes before Young found the back of the net in the 21st minute off an assist from Townsend.
The opening and closing moments of the game contrasts Ohio’s second half and first overtime period, and Rodgers noticed the team fading in and out of the game and allowing the Vikings to climb back into the game.
Cleveland State tied it up in the 53rd minute, thanks to a Elena Gutlove goal on Sam Wexell. Wexell played in the place of the injured Sydney Malham, who got hurt in the first half of the Northern Kentucky game. Rodgers had nothing but good things to say about Wexell’s performance in the game.
“We know we’re very confident in (Wexell) going in and doing a good job,” Rodgers said. “She stepped up and did well.”
The Bobcats will look to extend the winning streak to four on Sunday as they travel to Huntington, West Virginia to take on Marshall (0-2). First touch at the Veterans Memorial Soccer Complex is scheduled for 1 p.m.
Sports
