Ohio will play its home opener against nationally ranked Liberty and Appalachian State.
Coach Neil Macmillan is optimistic about his team. Macmillan is so optimistic that he's guaranteeing a win against nationally ranked Liberty this weekend.
“When we (win the game against Liberty), that’s how we’re thinking about it," Macmillan said.
Ohio hosts No. 17 Liberty in its home opener on Friday, then battles Appalachian State on Sunday to end its short home stand.
The Flames, coming off a 7-1 win against the Richmond Spiders, will be one of the Bobcats' most formidable opponents this season.
This confidence is key for a Bobcats team that started the season 2-2.
“Liberty is the type of team we want to be consistently competing with,” Macmillan said. "So we have aspirations as a program to be on that level ourselves."
Comparably, Liberty is averaging close to five goals per game compared to Ohio’s two.
Seniors Ashlee Krulock and Sarah Gipe are key cogs to the offense this year, as they lead Liberty in goals this season with four a piece.
“As long as we play like we did in our second game this weekend against VCU, we will be able to hold our own,” redshirt junior Lina Trucco said.
Macmillan said Ohio will begin to prepare for Appalachian State only after the final horn sounds against Liberty.
Appalachian State has begun the year 1-3, with its lone win coming against Missouri State.
Macmillan, however, is not downplaying the Mountaineers.
“They are really well coached. (Coach Meghan Dawson) has got them doing some good things," Macmillan said.
Appalachian State is allowing close to five goals per game, something that Ohio will attempt to capitalize on. Sophomore Maria Russell, the team leader in goals, should look to exploit the Mountaineers' defense.
A win against Liberty could propel the team into the next tier of competition. Macmillan defeated a top-five Duke team in his third season as head coach; he said he has no doubt that this team can replicate that performance on Friday.
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