Ohio’s overtime fortunes finally turned in its third overtime match of the season.
The Bobcats played Robert Morris on Friday at Chessa Field looking to continue their best start in program history by improving to 6-0. They dominated the match, outshooting the Colonials 27-5, but couldn’t find the back of the net, and lost on a controversial goal with three minutes remaining in double overtime to lose 1-0.
At the beginning of the match, the Bobcats looked like they were on their way to their third-straight dominating win and hit the crossbar twice in the first minute. As the first half went on, however, the chances dried up as Robert Morris sat back and defended deep.
“I think they did a really good job of sitting in,“ Bobcats coach Aaron Rodgers said. “They weren’t interested in attacking except for on counter-attacks. They did a phenomenal job, and their game plan was executed perfectly.”
As the half neared a close, Ohio picked up the aggression and had a couple shots that came close, but the two teams went into halftime with the match still scoreless.
In the second half, the Bobcats continued their assault against the Robert Morris goal, ramping up the pressure as the half went on. As the match wound down to the final 15 minutes, Ohio’s increased physicality resulted in more quality chances. Sarina Dirrig, Alivia Milesky and Paige Knorr all had decent chances in the closing minutes, but it was Knorr who nearly gave the Bobcats a win.
She took the ball around Robert Morris goalkeeper Sydney Bruckner and fired into an empty net with 26 seconds left on the clock.
Then, the linesman raised his flag for offside, and the celebrations at Chessa Field were cut short. The Bobcats had to gather themselves quickly and prepare for their third trip to overtime in the young season.
“I think we knew that we were creating a lot of chances and we figured we would continue to create them,” Rodgers said.
In overtime, Bruckner stepped up in a huge way for the Colonials and made multiple saves. The most important of which was a double save on Olivia Sensky, but she also made a save that denied Abby Townsend, who was one of the Bobcats’ best players on the day.
As Townsend continued to lead the attack on the Robert Morris goal, it seemed that the Bobcats would surely get the winner and keep their perfect record. Even as the match headed to double overtime, there was a sense of inevitability around Chessa Field. The Bobcats continued to pepper the Colonials with crosses and shots, but they were still unable to find the net.
As the clock wound down to three minutes, the Colonials counter-attacked down the right side and won a free kick just inside their attacking half. Ohio players looked frustrated with the call, but had to accept it and defend the free kick.
The kick was launched toward the Bobcats’ box and bounced through to Kayla Veloso-Lima, who volleyed it over goalkeeper Sydney Malham into the far corner, giving the Bobcats their first loss of the season. As the ball hit the back of the net, the Ohio players surrounded the referee to question the lack of an offside call, but it felt as if the air had been suddenly sucked out of stadium as the crowd sat in a stunned silence, unable to believe what they had just witnessed.
The Bobcats travel to Columbus on Sunday to take on Ohio State (1-4-1). Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Bert L. and Iris S. Wolstein Field at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.
