Ohio gutted out a huge 3-1 win on the road at Kent State on Thursday. The team put all of its pieces together and were able to keep the momentum going for a second-straight victory.
Ohio carried most of the physical first half with teamwork combined from a lot of different efforts. The Bobcats (2-2, 2-2 MAC) had 12 fouls and Kent State (2-2, 2-2 MAC) had 11 just to start out the game and both teams played a very aggressive half with a lot of both and forth action.
Senior Jenni Santacaterina scored her first goal of the season for the Bobcats four minutes in by an assist from Shae Robertson. Later in the half, Heather McGuire scored with another assist from Robertson. The team didn’t see much action after the first two goals but hoped to carry how it had been playing along for the rest of the game.
Ohio’s chemistry continued as the second half started. As the Bobcats looked to keep its lead, their defense didn’t allow much action early from Kent State. Carsyn Prigge scored 17 minutes into the second half to extend the lead to 3-0, but Kent State began to battle back.
The ball went past Sydney Malham as Tianna Harris scored for Kent State at the 75:38 mark. One goal wasn’t enough for the Golden Flashes. Ohio was the more dominant team. Ohio had a lot of aspects well put together and the team knew that is how it needed to play coming into the game. The Bobcats were able to keep a comfortable lead and were dominant in the numbers that mattered the most.
Defense has been a strong spot for Ohio this season and is an important factor to finishing in games. Ohio goalie Sydney Malham is coming off of winning the MAC East Defensive Player of the Week on Wednesday and has been a big factor to this team and its success. Malham had five saves Thursday and the one goal getting past her was one of the few mistakes she made.
The Bobcats head back on the road to face Buffalo on Sunday. Ohio hopes to carry all the success it had Thursday into the weekend to show who it truly is as a team and what all it can accomplish.
