Ohio is looking toward another weekend and hoping to gain its strong play from early in the season. Both of Ohio’s weekend matches will be held at Pruitt Field when it hosts Central Michigan and Saint Francis, respectively. The match against Central Michigan will be a Mid-American Conference affair, while the match against Saint Francis is Ohio’s final out-of-conference home match.
Match Information:
Friday
Opponent: Central Michigan
Location: Pruitt Field (Athens, OH)
Date and Time: Oct. 14 at 2 p.m.
Live stream can be accessed here
Live stats can be accessed here
Central Michigan Scouting Report:
Central Michigan and Ohio have already faced off earlier in the season. That match, played in Ann Arbor, ended with Ohio picking up a 5-2 victory. Katelyn Whittle recorded a hat trick in the match, accounting for 75% of her total goals on the season.
The match against the Bobcats was the second match in the Chippewas current 12-match losing streak. After a season-opening victory over Saint Louis, the Chippewas have yet to win another match. The 12-match losing streak is the longest for the program since their 17-match skid to end the 2019 season.
The Chippewas have experienced their fair share of struggles in recent years. They have only won more than five matches in a season three times since 2010, one of which came in 2020 when the Chippewas only played 12 matches.
One of the main culprits for Central Michigan’s downfall has been a porous defense. They have allowed 69 goals this season, one of the worst marks in the country. While some teams in the NCAA are scoring an average of over four goals per match, Central Michigan has not been able to score more than three times in a single match. Their 16 total goals are also one of the fewest numbers scored in the country.
Although the Chippewas have trouble scoring, two of their players have five goals on the season. Junior Kate Biglin has three assists to go with her quintet of goals. Additionally, senior Alice O’Hagan has a pair of assists to add to her five goals this season. In net, freshman Maja Halasz has been getting starts recently, but Katie Maxim has also made multiple starts to this point.
Sunday
Opponent: Saint Francis
Location: Pruitt Field (Athens, OH)
Date and Time: Oct. 16 at 12 p.m.
Live stream can be accessed here
Live stats can be accessed here
Saint Francis Scouting Report:
Saint Francis and Ohio have only faced off four previous times. Ohio was undefeated against Saint Francis before losing last season in Loretto, Pennsylvania.
The Red Flashes are 4-9 on the season and 1-2 against MAC competition. The Red Flashes and Bobcats are generally similar in terms of balancing middling records with conference title aspirations. Additionally, both teams have yet to make a run in the postseason for quite a long time.
The Red Flashes are led offensively by sophomore Eva Valentini and her 10 goals. She has scored in five of the past six matches heading into this weekend. Valentini has improved on her freshman season that saw her earn eight goals and six assists. She has already eclipsed her point total from a season ago with a considerable amount of matches left.
Senior Amber Bryan has gotten the majority of the starts in net, but has only saved 57.4% of shots. She’s 1-7 on the season, but Chloe South has actually relieved her in the second half of almost every match. The Bobcats have yet to encounter a team with a true rotation in net, something that could impact the plan from Ohio coach Ali Johnstone and her staff.
