A little more than two weeks ago, a dejected Ohio squad left the field after a 2-1 loss to Northwestern, wondering how a team that won a Mid-American Conference championship and an NCAA Tournament berth could fall below .500 beyond the halfway point of the season.
What a difference two games make.
After victories against St. Joseph’s and No. 16 Wake Forest, the morale of the team has improved now that results are finally matching the talent and potential that surrounded the team before the season.
“We finally saw a game where we rose to the level where we should be at,” Ohio coach Neil Macmillan said. “And we not only competed with a ranked team, but ended up on the right side of the scoreboard. That’s where we want to be and we hope to see that again this weekend.”
Ohio will welcome MAC and Big Ten opponents to Pruitt Field this weekend as they look to build on the momentum gained during the previous two games.
Saturday, Ohio takes on Ball State. Though the Cardinals’ 3-8 record would suggest the team is struggling, the Bobcats aren’t taking any chances, especially after Ball State’s 3-2 upset win against Indiana this past Sunday.
“Ball State seems to be pretty good this year,” junior Katie Fenzel said. “We definitely can’t underestimate them just because they’re in the MAC, and that is definitely our main focus right now.”
After starting the season 1-5 and averaging 1.1 goals per game, the Cardinals have improved, winning two of their past five games and averaging 3.4 goals during that span.
“They’re a team that has been successful this season,” Macmillan said. “It’s a MAC game and everyone always brings their best in the MAC games, so we expect nothing less from them. (Coach Beth Maddox) has been there a couple of years now, so she’s starting to get her system and philosophies on the field, so I think we’ll see a good energy from their team.”
The importance of the game is heightened, as Ohio is 0-1 in the MAC and needs to finish with one of the conference’s top four records to be included in the conference tournament. A 0-2 start would be hard to dig out of, Macmillan said.
On Sunday, the focus shifts to No. 20 Michigan State, which will be completing the second leg of its Ohio road trip after stopping to play Ohio State in Columbus.
The Spartans have dropped three of the past four, but two of those games came against Iowa and Duke, which are both ranked in the top 25.
“It’s another opportunity for us to step out of conference, another opportunity to play a Big Ten team, and another opportunity to play a ranked team,” Macmillan said. “So, we look at those as great challenges and hopefully we’ll be successful in that game.”
ch203310@ohiou.edu
