Ohio looked dominate on offense and defense Sunday, defeating Marshall 3-1 at Hoops Family Field. It felt as if Ohio was in control for the entire game, which helped it win its first game this season and its fourth straight in its series against Marshall.
In the first half, the Bobcats started strong on offense. Senior Regan Berg scored just over six minutes into the game, for her first goal of the season. With under a minute left in the half, the Bobcats extended their lead with a goal from Cailynn Adelman.
Ohio went into the second half feeling good. Not only was it ahead by two goals, but Ohio also led Marshall 10-4 in total shots.
10 minutes into the second half, Marshall cut into Ohio's lead by taking advantage of a defensive miscue resulting in a goal from Morgan White.
Ohio responded in the 83rd minute with a goal from junior Aubrey Rea and revitalized the lead. However, Marshall stayed aggressive. It drew a penalty kick towards the end of the game with a chance to cut Ohio's lead back to one, but a save from freshman goalkeeper Celeste Sloma signed, sealed and delivered an Ohio victory.
The Bobcats could not have completed the win without the strong games from redshirt senior Haley Miller, graduate student Abby Townsend and freshman Hailey Jeng, all of whom logged their first assists of the season. Junior Isabella Ginocchi also made her presence felt on Sunday with four shots at the net, three of them being on goal.
Ohio and Marshall each finished the game with 16 shots, but Ohio had the edge with nine shots on goal versus Marshall's eight. Both teams also had almost the same number of saves, fouls and corner kicks. Statistically, the game seemed even, but Ohio was in control throughout the entirety of the contest.
Ohio will be back in action Sunday at 1 p.m. for its first home game of the season against the Virginia Military Institute.
