For the majority of the match Friday, Ohio and Central Michigan dragged. Two teams in the midst of long losing streaks appeared destined to continue the scoreless stalemate that characterized the first 34 minutes.
It only took one quick play by Noa Desmaretz to rescue Ohio, as she netted her second goal of the season to break the scoreless tie. That one shot seemed to give everyone on the Ohio sideline a collective sigh of relief.
The goal by Desmaretz was like a dam opening the floodgates for the Bobcats. They finished out the match and even scored another goal to secure a 2-0 win.
Desmaretz’s goal was a well executed offensive set where she found herself in a favorable position with the ball.
“I was looking (over there) and saw no one there,” Desmaretz said. “I was like ‘let’s run (it) through there.’”
The goal was just the second one on the season for Desmaretz. This goal felt much bigger than that, though. Ohio’s season felt as if it was slipping away. The seemingly winnable match on paper was becoming a war of attrition. There are perhaps much bigger moments in a season, but none more pivotal than the one ceased by Desmaretz.
The Bobcats wanted nothing more than an easy victory over an opponent they already defeated this season. An early-season drubbing of the Chippewas combined with their lengthy losing streak were all ingredients for a blowout. However, that plan was not put into fruition. The Bobcats struggled to break through the defense and goaltending from the Chippewas and went into halftime tied in a scoreless affair.
The angst of potentially losing to a conference opponent loomed and likely played a part in the tense play. Unbeknownst to the players and coaches, Bellarmine, another conference opponent, had fallen at the hands of Ball State. This meant that if Ohio beat Central Michigan, the teams would be tied in the standings ahead of their match next week.
Although it could be argued that the Bobcats were desperate for a victory of any kind, the ugliness of it does not exactly induce confidence. A win is in fact a win, but not all wins are equal. The Bobcats had to scrape and claw, but the result was still a victory. For all the discussion to be had concerning whether the match the Bobcats played would translate moving forward, the bottom line is that they won.
