Though much has been said about Ohio’s defense this year, it would be hard to win games without an effective offense.
Through 12 games, Ohio (10-2, 3-0 Mid-American Conference) has outscored its opponents 46-10. Twelve players have registered goals, which is two more than the total for all of last season.
“We’re scoring from anywhere on the field,” coach Neil Macmillan said. “We’re not relying on one or two players to get the job done.”
At this point in 2010, the Bobcats were 6-6 and had scored 28 goals compared to the opposition’s 15. Similar to this year, Taylor Brown and Cathryn Altdoerffer were the leading scorers.
This season, Altdoerffer’s 10 goals lead the team, and Brown is right behind with nine.
But neither player scored last Sunday in a 2-0 win against Miami. In that game, new scorers Jessica Vaeth and Andrea Biegalski sent home their first goals of 2011.
“It was pretty awesome,” said Vaeth, whose goal was the first of her Ohio career. “We all work hard to win games, so I’m just glad that I got to contribute to the team — especially against Miami. It was a good first goal.”
No other team in the MAC is close to Ohio in offensive production. The Bobcats lead the conference in a bevy of categories — goals, shots, assists, nearly everything — and second-place Central Michigan has scored 19 fewer goals.
Granted, the Chippewas have played only 10 games, but their next one comes against an Ohio team that has given up just .82 goals per game, good for third-best in the nation.
“I hope right now we’re causing matchup problems all over the field,” Macmillan said. “You probably have to be very careful giving up corners against us because our percentage has been very high.
“I think you also have to be aware of the different options we have in open field scoring.”
GOALIE WINS WEEKLY AWARD
Part of Ohio’s defensive success comes from stalwart goaltender Jen McGill, who was named the MAC Defensive Player of the Week for her performance last weekend.
The award came after two games in which McGill kept Ball State and Miami off the scoreboard. The Cardinals registered a goal, but not until McGill was on the bench and Ohio led by nine.
“Well-deserved,” Macmillan said of the award. “She’s been playing extremely well for us.”
Despite McGill’s success, the award was not something she was expecting.
Credit for the award might be in part given to Ohio’s offense, which kept the
Cardinals and Miami on the defensive for most of the weekend.
“I didn’t really see a lot of action,” McGill said. “It was kind of surprising.”
me811508@ohiou.edu
