Ohio’s losing streak continued Sunday with a 7-1 loss to No. 20 Ohio State. Ohio State’s stellar offense dominated each quarter and the loss now puts Ohio at of 5-7.
The Bobcats got off to a slow start, with Buckeye goals from Sarah Charley and Emma Goldean, but it did respond with a goal of its own. Maddie Coombe scored her first goal of the season in the 21st minute to make it 2-1 and give the Bobcats some life. That did not last long, however, as Leanne Bough added another goal for the Buckeyes late in the second quarter to make it 3-1.
Ohio State swept the second half of the match, putting up four more goals. Ohio just could not defend Ohio State in the third quarter as Megan McKenna and Zella Bailey put up a pair of goals.
Finally, in the last 15 minutes, Ohio switched keepers to try and find a way to recover, bringing in Macy Lotze, who made two saves. The change did not help, however, as Ohio State put the finishing touches on the blowout win with goals in the 48th and 56th minutes to make it 7-1.
Overall, the Buckeyes outshot the Bobcats 22-9, with 18 shots on goal to just four for the Bobcats. Nele Graner did all she could in goal, making nine saves in 45 minutes. That equaled her second-highest total of the season, but despite that, she allowed more goals than she had in any match this year.
Ohio, currently ranked 64th in the nation, will have to make some changes in order to break it’s five-match losing streak. It is currently 1-3 in Mid-American Conference play and sitting in sixth place, so it has some work to do in order to qualify for the conference tournament.
Sunday’s loss was the lowest point of what has been a tough stretch for the Bobcats, and while there are not many positives to take from it, they lost the three previous matches by just one goal, so a turnaround may be on the way.
