Ohio won’t have much time to enjoy what coach Neil Macmillan said is the team’s biggest win of the season.
A quick turnaround will have the Bobcats (6-8, 2-1 Mid-American Conference) on the road in Muncie, Ind., against Ball State just two days after beating Miami 1-0 Wednesday in a hard-fought match.
“This situation is not uncommon in field hockey,” Macmillan said. “As a staff, we’re going to prepare the team the same way we did for Miami. Obviously, playing Ball State doesn’t carry the same type of weight as playing Miami, but if we can duplicate the energy, we’ll be in good shape.”
The Cardinals (5-10, 0-3 MAC) will enter into the game against the Bobcats on a six-game losing streak. During that stretch, Ball State has been outscored 33-5, including a trio of shutouts and a 10-2 loss to No. 21 Michigan.
But freshman forward Lexi Kavanaugh has paced the Cardinals with seven goals and 14 points.
“Our team was prepared in a short amount of time for Miami. They bought in really quickly and performed on Wednesday,” Macmillan said. “I have no worries about the team picking up the new game plan in a short amount of time.”
Senior Luli Gomez Teruel has carried the Bobcats’ offense to victory in three of their past four games, including both of Ohio’s MAC wins. She has scored six goals during that stretch, including both goals the Bobcats have scored on their home turf this season.
Defensively, senior goalkeeper Brittany Walker has allowed just four goals during the past four games, including a shutout Wednesday, as she saved three Miami shot attempts.
After Wednesday’s win, the Bobcats have put themselves in a position to come away with the MAC regular season title, as Ohio is tied with Miami and Central Michigan in second place, while Kent State leads with an undefeated conference record.
“Wednesday’s win is something that can really spark the rest of our season,” Macmillan said. “We know that if we win the rest of our games that no team in the MAC can have a better record than us, and we’re excited about that.”
The Bobcats’ ninth and final road game of the regular season against Ball State will begin at 1 p.m. Saturday.
tj790511@ohiou.edu
