Against quality competition in Miami and Wake Forest, Ohio showed promise at different points in the weekend but ultimately lost both matches.
Friday
Ohio (4-6) started its weekend of home games at Pruitt Field with a loss against Miami (9-5) with a score of 3-1. Miami was able to outpace Ohio for most of the game, resulting in a demoralizing loss for the Bobcats, who were coming off of a dominant 7-0 against Longwood.
Ohio got off to a slow start this game while Miami struggled also, resulting in a 1-0 lead by halftime, with a goal by midfielder/striker, Claudia Negrete Garcia, assisted by Paula Navarro. Ohio spent most of the first half defending its side of the field, as Miami was able to maintain possession of the ball.
The stats show this: Ohio Goalkeeper Macy Lotze had 10 saves compared to Miami Goalkeeper Isabelle Perese’s single save. This was the downfall of the Bobcats, as they couldn’t seem to get it going until the third quarter, which was too late by then, as Miami was able to get another score on the board, scored by midfielder, Carlie Servis, assisted by midfielder Paula Pena Martinez.
With Ohio having such a slow start to the game, having only two shots to Miami’s nine at the half, it dug itself a hole to get out of. The one bright spot for the Bobcats was their goalkeeper, Lotze, who continued her outstanding season with another 10 saves in this game.
Ohio was also able to finally enter the game during the second half, as it almost matched Miami’s nine shots in the second half with seven of its own. Ohio’s only goal came towards the end of the third quarter, courtesy of forward Sasha Dikotla, who scored a game-winning goal against Kent State two weeks ago. Ohio would remain scoreless for the rest of this game while Miami was able to score once more.
Miami didn’t dominate the second half, but it still had nine shots, keeping Ohio away from its goal. Miami’s final goal came from Negrete Garcia, who scored earlier in the second quarter. The Bobcats couldn’t put up any counterattack against Miami’s stout offense and lost 3-1.
Sunday
Ohio lost a close game against Wake Forest (5-6) with a score of 2-1.
Even though Ohio lost, it was morale-boosting as Wake Forest was the No. 23 team in the country coming into this game. Losing such a close game showed that the Bobcats can stick with the higher-ranked teams in field hockey.
Ohio started the game looking a step slower than Wake Forest, as it was able to jump out to a 2-0 lead with scores from back, Mia Schoenbeck, and forward, Brooke McCusker. The Bobcats got their act together in the second half though, as they were able to outshoot Wake Forest, 12 to 7, and force them to play more defensively for the last two quarters. That led to a goal from forward Katelyn Whittle, putting Ohio back into the game with a score of 2-1.
Even though Ohio ran the entirety of the second half, it was only able to convert its 12 shots into that one goal. Ohio also had six penalty corners in the half, none of which led to scores. Finishing their shots seems to be an issue for the Bobcats once again, as they had 18 total shots and only put one of them into the back of the net. Ohio head coach, Ali Johnstone saw the same issues with finishing shots that the team had in the Ball State game.
Both team’s goalies were actively involved in this game, with Wake Forest’s goalie, Ellie Todd, having six saves and Ohio’s goalie, Macy Lotze having five saves of her own. Both teams were able to strongly play defensively on their respective sides of the field, leading to a lot of gritty play from both sides. It was Wake Forest’s defense who came out on top though, as it was able to allow one score off of 18 shots and seven penalty kicks from the Bobcats.
“We need to practice some finishing,” Coach Johnstone said.
Penalty corners were a concern for coach Johnstone, as Ohio didn’t score off any of its seven penalty corners, which was a contributing reason to its loss in this close game.
“Yeah, finishing on the penalty corners.” Johnstone said, "And yeah, just a little bit of gritty, gritty finishing around that nine-yard circle and in front of the goal.”
Even though Ohio lost, Whittle had a major achievement in this game, as she reached 10 goals on the season, putting her sixth in the nation in goals per game. She is officially averaging a score a game, having 10 goals in 10 games. Even though the Bobcats didn’t come away with the victory, Whittle saw a lot of improvements among her fellow teammates.
“Yeah, I saw a lot of good mentality and on the press, we did a great job of just putting pressure on them making them fumble the ball and stuff,” Whittle said. "But overall, it was great energy and I love to see it.”
