Ohio played its final match of the season Sunday, falling to Miami 1-0 in the Mid-American Conference Tournament quarterfinals. The season did not finish in a championship as many had hoped, but it was still full of successes nonetheless. One of the best stories to follow throughout the year was graduate student Abby Townsend’s chase to break Ohio’s record for most assists in a collegiate career.
Townsend had an impressive statistical season in 2022, recording a team-high 10 assists, 24 points, 45 shots and 27 shots on goal. Townsend was the most effective offensive player for the Bobcats this season, but for all the statistical feats she had accomplished, the thought of achieving the school assist record always loomed large.
Townsend has been a fixture of the Ohio Soccer program since her freshman season in 2018. She registered four goals and four assists her freshman season, earning herself a spot on the All-MAC Freshman Team. Townsend impressed many in her first year of collegiate action and her second season only saw her improve upon that.
Townsend’s sophomore season saw her achieve many career highs including 12 assists, 67 shots, 35 shots on goal and 1,608 minutes played. She was also awarded All-MAC First Team, All-Ohio First Team and MAC Distinguished Scholar Athlete honors for her play in her sophomore campaign. 12 assists as a sophomore is nothing short of remarkable and this amazing statistical season only accelerated Townsend’s chase to beat the school assist record further.
The 2020 season was affected by COVID-19, limiting the season to only ten matches. Of those ten matches, Townsend started nine and tied the team-high totals with two goals and one assist on the year. The shortened 2020 season did not allow for Townsend to gain much ground on the record, but there was still much hope that the record could be broken.
Townsend saw a decline in production during the 2021 season, recording the lowest points, minutes played and shots on goal of her career outside of the shorted 2020 pandemic season. Although this season saw a step back from her usual statistical output, the assist record remained within grasp and Townsend still had the 2022 season to get her name at the top of the record books.
Townsend’s 2022 campaign was a true return to form for her, finishing the year with career-high totals of seven goals, 24 points, a 0.156 shot percentage and a 0.600 shot-on-goal percentage. Townsend also recorded 10 assists on the year, pushing her career total to 31 assists, and tied the school record set by Kendra Hornschemeier in 2004.
Tying the record for assists is an accomplishment indicative of Townsend’s career at Ohio. She is all over the Ohio Soccer record book with career-high totals helping her finish tied for sixth in goals scored with 20, fourth in points with 71, second in shots with 231 and tied for first in assists with 31. Townsend has been a major focal point of the program for the past five seasons. Although she did not break the assist record, she made it her own along with numerous other accolades.
“The players we have returning, the players we have coming in from a recruiting standpoint ... can never replace her,” head coach Aaron Rodgers said after the loss to Miami Sunday.
Townsend had an outstanding career playing at Ohio, and the ability she has played with the past five seasons will be something that will be hard to replace outright.
