Ohio (6-1-3, 1-0-2 Mid-American Conference) concluded a two-game MAC road trip with a trip up north to take on Bowling Green (5-3-1, 2-1-0 MAC). Ohio entered the matchup 0-0-2 through the opening two matches of MAC play, looking to earn its first conference victory.
At the beginning of the match, both offenses managed shot attempts within the first four minutes of action. The Ohio offense attempted two shots on goal within the first seven minutes with attempts from forward Jaimason Brooker and defender Rayann Pruss. However, Bowling Green keeper Madison Vukas saved both attempts, preventing an early Ohio lead.
The rest of the first half saw multiple attempts on goal from both sides. Ohio outshot Bowling Green 7-6 in the opening half, with goalkeeper Celeste Sloma making three saves of her own to keep the score tied at 0-0 nearing halftime.
In the 44th minute, less than a minute from the halftime horn, midfielder Iro Fakinou pushed deep into Bowling Green territory, where she found forward midfielder Sydney Crowe, who put a shot past Vukas to give Ohio a 1-0 lead.
After returning from the break, the Ohio’s offense carried the success from scoring at the end of the first half right into the second. Forward Brooker put two shots on goal in the 47th minute, both of which were saved by Vukas.
In the 48th minute, Brooker passed up the shot and found forward Anna Burchett, who put a shot past the arm of Vukas into the Bowling Green net to secure Ohio a 2-0 second-half lead.
Ohio would outshoot Bowling Green four to zero over the next nine minutes of play, including three shots on goal. The Ohio defense held firm against an aggressive Bowling Green push to get back into the game.
Ohio turned away Bowling Green corner kick opportunities in the 74th, 75th and 76th minutes before a Sloma save in the 77th minute extinguished Bowling Green's offensive momentum. Sloma would finish the game with six saves and another shutout on the scoresheet, her sixth of the season.
In the 82nd minute, forward Maia Kaufman sent a pass back to defender Pruss, who put her third shot of the day past Vukas to extend the Ohio lead to 3-0 late. The Ohio defense continued to play firm to close out the final minutes, and the final whistle blew with a 3-0 Ohio victory.
The Ohio offense came alive today after only managing one goal through the opening two MAC games. Forward Brooker led Ohio with six shots and four shots on goal while adding an assist. Defender Pruss also contributed to the offense with three shots, two on goal, and an assist. Forward Rea also contributed three shots, with two on goal.
Ohio outshot Bowling Green 19 to 11 on the day, with 12 Ohio shots on goal to Bowling Green’s six. Ohio only managed 13 shots total in the previous two matches combined, with seven shots on goal in that time.
Ohio picks up the first MAC victory of the season and another shutout from Sloma and the rest of the Ohio defense. Ohio will return home to Chessa Field for a conference match against Kent State on Sunday.
