Ohio (1-1-1) made waves through the Mid-American Conference last season in an upset-riddled MAC Tournament that earned the team a spot in its first-ever NCAA Tournament. The moment, while grand, was short-lived, as Ohio was bested in the first round by Michigan State. Although a lot has changed from this past season, one thing has not, as the Bobcats matched up with the Spartans once again, losing for the second straight year.
The Bobcats’ season has been a mixed bag of results early on. Ohio opened with a 1-1 tie to Butler in Indianapolis, but the team quickly bounced back in a 4-0 win on the road against Northern Kentucky just five days later.
With another five days of turnaround, Ohio faced off against Michigan State in the NCAA Tournament rematch. The Bobcats turned to Celeste Sloma to start in goal, just as it had the two games prior, making it her 25th start in the last two seasons. Sloma forced a miss on her first shot defended, but Meg Hughes was able to get one by her just one attempt later, putting them up 1-0 just 10 minutes and 19 seconds into the game.
It would take just eight more minutes for Hughes to strike again, bringing her goal tally to two on the night. Ohio would fail to get a quality shot off for the entire first half, fouling four times and making a bevy of substitutions before the break.
Entering the final 45 minutes, Ohio broke its shotless streak just over six minutes into the second half with Jaimason Brooker’s bottom center attempt being saved by Michigan State goalie Belle Okoroafo.
While remaining scoreless, the Bobcats were able to keep the score at 2-0 until the final minute, when Mackenzie Anthony gave the Spartans their final goal, just 28 seconds before the final buzzer sounded.
The game gives Ohio its first official loss of the season ahead of a two-game homestand where the team will face off against Valparaiso on Sept. 1 and Marshall on Sept. 5.
