Ohio (5-1-1) capped off its senior day with a stunning 7-0 victory against Oakland (1-6-2). It was a great day for the seniors and a great last game of non-conference play for Ohio.
Ohio starts Mid-American Conference play Thursday against Western Michigan and has been using the first seven games of the season to prepare themselves. The team also is coming into conference play as the reigning champions of the MAC for the first time, meaning it will have a target on its back with other teams looking to take the championship.
During the seven non-conference games the Bobcats played, they have scored 21 goals, only allowing a total of five to be scored by the opponents. They have also outshot their opponents in both shots on goal and shots, with 113 total shots, 53 of them being on goal.
Ohio’s opponents have only 53 total shots and 27 shots on goal. Junior goalkeeper Celeste Sloma has been a big reason for the stonewall Ohio defense. Not only from her play, but also from her communication in setting up the defense, telling players where to be, and letting players know things they can’t see. She played every single minute of the season last year for the Bobcats and does not look to be slowing down anytime soon.
“For her to step up in the communication and the leadership has been great to see,” Ohio coach Aaron Rodgers said.
Rodgers also believes the experience the team had in the non-conference games will help them a lot, even the loss to No. 5 ranked Michigan State and the tie to Butler.
“We knew going into the first three games that was going to be a big challenge for us," Rodgers said. "So for us to come out one, one and one, I was quietly pleased with that, especially with our performance at Northern Kentucky."
Ohio has shown that its game plan is to be aggressive on both sides. The Bobcats want to keep the ball out of their opponents’ control, making opponents chase them down. On the field, it's hard to see the ball on Ohio’s side, as most of the game Ohio has possession and is aggressive, attacking the box and keeping constant pressure on the opponent’s defenders.
“A part of who we want to be is intense,” Rodgers said.
With non-conference play ending, Ohio currently sits in third place in the MAC, just behind Akron and Buffalo, who are tied in first place, and Northern Illinois who is in second.
Ohio will have a tough schedule ahead of them, as the MAC is a good conference, and since they are the reigning champions, teams will play them even harder. However, Ohio is a very tough and aggressive team as they’ve shown in these non-conference games, and if they continue to play like they have in these first seven games, Ohio can expect to have a very successful season.
