Ohio (5-1-2) opened up Mid-American Conference play today with a home match against Western Michigan (3-1-4). Ohio enters this matchup after a 7-0 win against Oakland to finish nonconference play.
Ohio entered conference play with goals to defend the first MAC title in school history, and its first opponent, Western Michigan, finished the 2023 season as the No. 1 in the MAC.
At the beginning of the match, Ohio and Western Michigan established physical defensive formations, and shots were few and far from both offenses early. Ohio’s first attempt on goal came in the seventh minute and a second shot was not attempted until the 36th minute. Two offside calls stalled potential Ohio attacks in the 21st and 34th minutes, respectively.
Ohio’s first half featured more excellent play from its defense and two-time MAC Defensive Player of the Week goalkeeper, Celeste Sloma. As the offense struggled to maintain consistent shots against Western Michigan, Ohio’s defense stepped up and turned away four Western Michigan shots to keep the score even entering the half.
At the beginning of the second half, Ohio and Western Michigan exchanged shot opportunities until the 54th minute, when Ohio forward/midfielder Jaimason Brooker found the ball in transition and pushed deep into Western Michigan's territory, finding the back of the net with her shot and securing a 1-0 lead.
After taking a 1-0 lead, Ohio's shot opportunities were turned away by tough team defense from Western Michigan in the 57th, 58th, 63rd, and 72nd minutes. Ohio had a challenge finding offensive opportunities after those failed attempts, as Western Michigan’s offense became more aggressive and ball-dominant in the final minutes.
In the 81st minute, Western Michigan forward Abby Werthman found the ball near the top of the Ohio box where she put a shot over the outstretched hand of Celeste Sloma to tie up the match at 1-1 late.
After the game was tied at one, Ohio was unable to break through a sturdy Western Michigan defense in the final nine minutes, when the final horn ended the match at 1-1. Ohio had a season-high 17 fouls in the draw.
Ohio’s win streak ends at four matches after the draw. Ohio will travel to Northern Illinois to take on the Huskies Sunday at 2 p.m.
