Instead of dwelling on back-to-back losses, the Bobcats came out swinging this weekend on their midwestern road trip, winning two games with a combined score of 12-1.
After falling out of the top 20 last week, Ohio (8-2) defeated Saint Louis 7-0 on Saturday before topping Missouri State 5-1 Sunday.
Coach Neil Macmillan said he was very pleased with his club’s performance this weekend, but expressed a shade of disappointment at the goal allowed yesterday to the in-conference Bears.
Despite falling behind 1-0 early on, Macmillan said he was happy with the way his team responded.
“We turned around after that and dominated the rest of play,” he added.
Three Bobcats scored in the team’s 5-1 win Sunday. Jessica Jue and Taylor Brown each put two in the net, while Brooke Edwards scored her sixth goal of the year.
With six goals and nine assists, Jue leads the team with 21 points overall.
The game at Missouri State was Ohio’s second this season played on field turf, and Jue said the team was much more comfortable on the artificial surface this time around.
A loss at Robert Morris marred the first run-in, but the Bobcats bounced back yesterday to begin conference play on a high note.
Jue said Ohio should have beaten the Colonials, adding, “We made sure we got the win this weekend.”
A nearly impenetrable defense aided Ohio’s efforts in both games. The Bears squeezed off only seven shots yesterday. On Saturday, St. Louis was outshot 31-0.
Edwards and Cathryn Altdoerffer each added two goals against the Billikens. Laura Mastro and Jue each also added one, as did freshman Ashley Cureton.
The outcome was never truly in doubt Saturday, but after falling behind early Sunday, Ohio could have given up and gone home.
Five goals later, it was clear the team had no intention of beginning conference play with a loss.
“We’re very strong,” Macmillan said. “We really have a ‘never give up’ attitude.
“At the end of the day, our fitness and our energy just really prevailed.”
Early last week, Ohio lost its No. 15 ranking following back-to-back losses against Robert Morris and Indiana.
But Jue said the drop in standing has not been a distraction to the team.
“It’s nice to be ranked and to be known,” Jue said, “but it doesn’t really represent who we are.
“We know that we’re a good team. It doesn’t really bother any of us.”
me811508@ohiou.edu
