Coach Aaron Rodgers is hopeful for six points in a weekend on the Bobcats' first MAC trip.
After splitting their opening weekend of Mid-American Conference play, the Bobcats will continue the “new chapter” of their campaign with a two-game road trip.
“Coming off a disappointing loss on Sunday, the girls are motivated to make it right and get six points in a weekend,” coach Aaron Rodgers said. “We have been scoring goals in patches and hopefully this weekend will be one of those weekends where we have one of those patches.”
Ohio heads to Western Michigan on Friday, to face a Broncos side with the best overall record in the MAC at 8-2, including conference wins this past weekend.
For as much as Rodgers likes to get his team behind the ball and push forward on attacks as a collective unit, he did say Friday’s match might entail sitting back, inviting the Broncos to press, only to break forward on a counter attack and catch the home team off guard.
“The way we set up our game, I think we’re good with counter attacks,” Rodgers said. “We have some attacking-minded people and some quick players that can help as well. We’ll definitely try to get forward in numbers.”
The Bobcats then head to DeKalb, Illinois, to face Northern Illinois (4-6, 2-0 MAC) and hopefully for Rodgers, it will be a dose of revenge for last season’s 2-1 loss which the Ohio coach said was the one match all year he would’ve liked to have back.
A goal in the 81st minute gave the Huskies a 2-1 win against the Bobcats, and resulted in Northern Illinois clinching the seventh-seed in the MAC Tournament, while Ohio finished eighth.
The second-year coach expects his Sunday opposition to sit back and wait for Ohio make a mistake and attempt to counter, such as the Bobcats may do against the Broncos.
While both teams are better on paper, Rodgers wants no business in being considered an underdog and wants his side to perform at the level he know’s its capable of achieving.
“I go into every game trying to attack and try to win,” Rodgers said. “I don’t think we’re underdogs against anyone in our conference because the MAC is pretty balance. I don’t think our team feels that way and I don’t set us up in that sense.”
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