Ohio plays Ball State and Miami this weekend. The Bobcats haven't beaten the RedHawks since 2008.
The last time Ohio beat Miami in soccer, former U.S. President George W. Bush was in office and "Live Your Life" by T.I. and Rihanna was the top song in the country.
Much has changed since October 2008, but the RedHawks dominance of the Bobcats has been consistent for the past seven years.
But this season, Miami (7-4, 3-1 Mid-American Conference) has been struggling at home, losing to Valparaiso and Florida International, making a win in Oxford seem more attainable for Ohio.
Enter Ohio — a team looking to make up for Sunday's 3-0 loss to Western Michigan.
"I want us to continue to play hard and continue on the process that we're playing with," coach Aaron Rodgers said. "I think we created a ton of chances last Friday night, and we created a lot of chances on Sunday against a very good Western Michigan team. So, I hope we're able to continue to create those chances, finish some of those chances and defend really well."
The Bobcats (4-7, 2-2 MAC) had seven shots Sunday, with five of those on target. However, none of them significantly troubled the Broncos' goalkeeper, and the Bobcats will need to be more aggressive against a RedHawks team that has scored six goals and only conceded three in conference play.
Meanwhile, Ohio has been shutout in two of the last three games, and its midfield was suffocated by the organized defense of WMU and Akron. If they can find out a way to get leading scorer Stephanie Rowland and sophomore forward annah Jaggers on the ball, the Bobcats could find more success on the offensive side of the ball.
And if Ohio does break down Miami, it faces an equally formidable opponent in Ball State on Sunday.
Rodgers recently said Sunday games can be "grinding" in the MAC, and his team faces off against the best team in the conference this Sunday. The Cardinals (8-2-2, 4-0) are currently the only team in the MAC who haven't dropped a conference game, and they have only failed to score twice this season, often putting up multiple goals per game.
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But they have also conceded in all but one game this season, so if Ohio can find the back of the net, it will have a good chance to get a result against the best team in the MAC.
The players are looking forward to both games, but are taking them in stride and treating them like every other game they've had so far.
"I think it'll be a competitive game, as it is with every game in the MAC," senior midfielder Leah Sandercock said. "Just looking for a good turnout, and if we come to play, we'll definitely be the team to win."
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