Field hockey's offense continues to struggle.
After a 2-0 loss to Miami on Saturday, Ohio drove home from Oxford with a feeling all too familiar.
The Bobcats were outshot 9-3 and lost the edge in corners 5-4, as RedHawks freshmen Henni Otten and Shannon Regan scored in the 24th and 50th minute, respectively, to give Ohio its first Mid-American Conference loss of the season. Otten led the match with three shots.
"While most of our play in or around the 25 was better than it has been, it wasn't good enough to create a goal scoring opportunity,” coach Neil Macmillan said. “We're still struggling offensively, but there were signs of improvement tonight.”
Offensively, Ohio (2-7, 1-1 MAC) has continued to struggle this season. For the fourth consecutive game the Bobcats have been shut out, and the last time the team scored was on Sept. 12 in a shootout against Ohio State.
Macmillan said the Bobcats improved their play around the 25, but was displeased by the team’s inability to score off their four corners.
Kristen Buchanan, Adele Sammons and Lauryl Desch all posted a shot for the Bobcats, but none were on goal. Maria Russell, who still leads the team in goals with two, only played four minutes. The last time Russell scored was in Ohio’s opening game against Boston.
Freshman Cassie Rich also played a limited role in the loss, as after playing close to a full game earlier in the season, she only saw 19 minutes of playing time.
Goalie Brittany Walker was once again stout on defense with three saves against the RedHawks on the chilly, cloudy day.
Macmillan said moving forward, the team needs to find positions where the players can be more successful.
“We’re still very much in the hunt for the MAC, we just lost to a good team within the conference,” Macmillan said. “There’s plenty more of games to be played before anything is decided. We’re trying to be as positive as we can.”
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