Although Ohio has dropped its past two games and three of the past four, the Bobcats will work on making their record reflective of their level of play as they travel to Philadelphia on Friday to take on St. Joseph’s.
Ohio (4-5) coach Neil Macmillan isn’t as worried about the Hawks because he is regaining some of the swagger and execution that the Bobcats have shown in flashes this season.
“We have to get some confidence back,” Macmillan said. “We’ve got to really focus on ourselves, scoring some goals and being a little sharper all around the field. If we do that, it doesn’t matter who we play.”
At times, Ohio has looked like the class of the Mid-American Conference. Against No. 10 Northwestern on Sunday, after being held to no shots or corners in the opening half, Ohio opened up the second stanza looking like a nationally ranked team. Its fitness appeared to wear on Northwestern, since the Bobcats had three consecutive corners that led to a well-executed goal from freshman Adele Sammons.
But other times, the team’s inconsistency has been on full display. After playing an even first half against Ohio State on Sept. 12, Ohio came out flat after the break, managing merely two shots, only one of which was on goal before falling in a shootout.
Much of Ohio’s inconsistency is the result of its inability to convert on set play opportunities. The Bobcats have put in a lot of work on those situations, particularly corners, as they look to eradicate their offensive woes.
“It comes down to that one thing,” Macmillan said. “It’s finishing. We had six corners (against Northwestern) and we won another one, and one out of six is okay, but those are clear shots and we should be doing better than that.”
The players follow in Macmillan’s wake, saying setting up scoring opportunities is the Bobcats’ top priority on Friday.
“We’re just focusing on ourselves right now,” said senior Marissa Higgins. “Really, I think we need to focus on scoring, and that’s what we’ve been working on this week.”
St. Joseph’s struggled early this season, falling in seven of their nine games. The Hawks have scored more than one goal in a game only twice this season.
The only team both the Bobcats and Hawks have played this season is Colgate, which Ohio defeated 3-1, while St. Joseph’s fell to the Raiders 5-1 in its most recent game on Sunday.
ch203310@ohiou.edu
UP NEXT
OHIO v. St. Joseph’s
3 p.m. Friday
Ellen Ryan Field, Philadelphia
— The Hawks have a record of 2-7 on the season.
— Ohio defeated St. Joseph’s 7-2 last year in Philadelphia.
— St. Joseph’s has been outscored by its opponents 27-11 this season.
