Ohio (10-7-2, 6-4-1 Mid-American Conference) took on Miami (9-4-6, 4-2-5 MAC) for the first round of the MAC Tournament Sunday. Ohio finished its regular season with the fourth best conference record in the MAC, putting it in position to host Miami, who earned the fifth seed. Despite playing at home and being the team with the better record, Ohio fell to Miami 1-0 and ended its season.
Ohio and Miami had already met once this season for the Battle of the Bricks. Ohio came away with a 2-0 victory at home, which was its first victory in MAC play this season. In the match, Isabella Ginocchi broke the deadlock by scoring the first goal. Ginocchi did not play in the rematch against Miami Sunday.
The RedHawks started the match with the ball and knew the only way to win was to control the pace. They passed the ball around their defensive line, trying to get a feel for the Bobcats aggressiveness. This cautious play netted the RedHawks three corner kicks in the first half, all of which did not score. However, they were threatening, as the Bobcats struggled to clear the ball away from their goal.
The first half had a slower pace, with great defense from both teams. Miami is a team that focuses on defense and physicality, and it has only allowed .68 goals per match this season. Meanwhile, Ohio has scored an average 2.16 goals per match.
The story for Ohio this season has been that of Abby Townsend, who made her presence known in the first half of the match Sunday. In the 23rd minute, Townsend sent a pass to an open Maia Kaufman, who took a deep shot that was on goal but saved by Miami goalkeeper Izzie Vaccari.
In the 32nd minute, Miami forward Jaimie Tottleben took a shot on Ohio’s goal, which would have scored had Townsend not dropped back into the goal to help the defense. The first half ended scoreless.
When Ohio and Miami returned to the field, the pressure was increased by both teams with a heavy back-and-forth play. Both teams made mistakes and became more physical in attempts to score and break the deadlock.
The first goal was scored by Miami’s Taylor Hamlett, who got a ball to bounce off a defender's foot and roll into the goal, giving Miami a 1-0 lead in the 73rd minute of the match.
Ohio needed to put a goal on the board to keep the season alive. Its best opportunity came in the 85th minute, when a deflected shot by Haley Miller turned into a corner kick that Townsend would take. The ball floated over the defense, and Quintin Tostevin positioned herself perfectly for a header. However, the ball bounced before the goal and barely went over the crossbar. Miami got the win, and to face Buffalo in the semifinals.
Ohio coach Aaron Rodgers said the team never gave up Sunday.
“It's just a testament to how resilient these women are and how wonderful they are," Rodgers said. “It was a lot of fun to be around. (I) look forward to those returning to continue it on.”
With the end of every season, there are players who move on, and new players will take their place. Notable players who are potentially graduating are Abby Townsend, Sam Wexell, Sydney Dawson, Haley Miller and Ella Bianco
“I can’t thank enough the group of players that we have, the fifth-year seniors, (and) the seniors that are moving on from here,” Rodgers said. “It’s an exceptional group of women. It’s so easy to be around them every day. I’m proud of them as student athletes, but I’m more proud of them as people and how they impact each other, and how I know they are gonna impact life when they graduate and move on from the game.”
