On Sunday, Ohio will find itself in the familiar underdog role it has played numerous times this season, going up against number-one seed Toledo in the opening game of the Mid-American Conference tournament.
Ohio squeaked into the tournament as the eighth and final seed after losing to Akron 1-0 in overtime yesterday. Though the loss was not the ideal result for Ohio, which has only won once in the last seven games, coach Stacy Strauss saw positives in the team’s play and the return of goalkeeper Mattie Liston.
“It was literally a game-time decision. I thought it was a better idea to get her some time in the game today before the tournament,” Strauss said. “I mean honestly, she didn’t have to do a whole lot. She made one save in the early going in the second half, but her communication and organization was good as always. It is certainly good to have her back. She is not 100 percent but is pretty close.”
After another hard loss, Ohio fell in the standings to finish the season in fourth place in the MAC East. The team aims to rebound Sunday against a Rocket squad that has lost only one game in conference play and beat the Bobcats 2-0 Oct. 7.
“We have put ourselves in the underdog role before and do well,” Strauss said.
“We just need to have a short memory and that on Sunday, we have a clean slate. We’re not going to be able to do very much in terms of preparation, but we will take some time to tweak some things and talk about some strategy going into the game.”
Strauss noted that Toledo is a strong team but said her unit will have a slight edge over last time because it has already played the team this season.
“We’re going to know what to expect from them, and honestly I don’t think they really will from us,” Strauss said. “It’s always difficult to beat the same team twice, and we already have different personnel on the field and so that will allow us to show them a little something different in terms of our lineup and the way that we choose to play.”
The Bobcats are the type of team Strauss would never bet against considering the adversity the veteran group has overcome. With Liston back in net and the team members rallying behind each other, anything can happen in the MAC, Strauss said. Come Sunday, the coaches won’t need to say very much, as the 10 seniors realize Sunday could be their final game.
“At this point in the season, there isn’t a whole lot that needs to be said,” Strauss said. “They know what is expected and they do a good job of motivating themselves and each other. They know what is at stake.”
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