Ohio (10-3-4, 5-2-3 Mid-American Conference) returned to Chessa Field for the final home match of regular season play against Central Michigan (5-8-4, 3-4-3 MAC), clinching a postseason spot with a 3-0 win. Ohio currently sits third in the MAC with an opportunity to jump to second in a win over Miami, with a loss or tie from Buffalo.
If the team secures a top-two finish in the conference, it would be eligible for a first-round bye. While the formerly first-placed Bobcats’ only chance of hosting a MAC Tournament game involves staying at the three-seed, a bye would grant the team extra time to prepare for a semi-final matchup.
With the tournament on the horizon, Ohio played at its best in what could be its last home game of the season.
At the beginning of the match, Ohio established a fast-paced offense against the Central Michigan defense. Ohio managed a shot in the first minute of action. In the third minute, Ohio forward Jaimason Brooker found the ball outside of the Central Michigan box and fired a shot into the top of the goal over the hand of the goalkeeper to earn Ohio an early 1-0 advantage.
In the 24th minute, forward Aubrey Rea was found on a cutting pass toward the Central Michigan net by defender Rayann Pruss, where Rea put the ball quickly into the back of the net to extend Ohio’s lead to 2-0. Rea’s goal is her fourth goal this season, tying her for second on the team, while the assist is Pruss’ third, putting her second on the team as well.
Ohio’s offense continued pressure on Central Michigan throughout the first half. Ohio managed to outshoot Central Michigan nine to three, with three shots on goal and five corners in a productive first-half team performance.
As the second half began, Ohio and Central Michigan pursued more aggressive forms of play. In the first seven minutes of the second half, only one shot was managed by the Central Michigan offense, while the Central Michigan defense committed three fouls in the same seven-minute span, allowing the Ohio offense more opportunities at the net.
In the 53rd minute, forward Jaimason Brooker was found splitting two Central Michigan defenders to find a pass from forward Aubrey Rea. Brooker corralled the shot and flicked it up over the goalkeeper at the edge of the box, where the ball rolled into the net, giving Ohio a commanding 3-0 lead early in the second half.
After taking a 3-0 lead, the Ohio offense continued to apply pressure on Central Michigan’s net and limited opportunities for a comeback. In the second half, Ohio outshot Central Michigan 8-4, including four shots on goal and an advantage in corner kicks 3-1. Central Michigan’s offense had a tough time finding any opportunities against a stingy Ohio defense that limited Central Michigan to two shots in the final 33 minutes of play.
Ohio managed to pull off the crucial conference victory by returning to a consistent method of ball movement that had head coach Aaron Rodgers pleased with his team after two scoreless losses.
“I think we created some chances that we could have scored a couple more goals,” Rodgers said. “To get back in that rhythm, I think, is very good … We use a metric breakdown system, and it takes many metrics. One of them is possessions in the penalty area. That’s something we talked about from an objective standpoint, how we can get a lot of those.”
Ohio will travel to Oxford to face MAC rival Miami in the final game of the regular season on Oct. 31 at 3 p.m. Game coverage will be on ESPN+.
