Despite early season struggles, the Bobcats are looking forward to turning their season around against the tenacious Golden Flashes.
On a rainy Tuesday at Pruitt Field, some players were seen dancing in the rain to music blasting in the background, as confidence and morale for Ohio is increasing following a loss to Mid-American Conference rival Miami last weekend.
Neil Macmillan, who was joking with the team before practice started, seemed upbeat about Bobcats (2-7, 1-1 MAC) going against Golden Flashes, as the ten-year coach recognized the matchup is a critical juncture in the season.
“It’s another good rival game within the conference,” Macmillan said. “I think us, Miami and Kent have been the three dominant teams in the past several years. We’re looking forward to that type of competition again for another week. We’re just trying to continue improve our movement, experience up front and implement new things.”
Macmillan explained that this year has been a good learning experience for him and the Bobcats, which are in the midst of a scoring drought. Macmillan said the team is trying to implement new players and switch the lineup to generate more offense.
According to sophomore Hannah Kingsbury, the Bobcats are hopeful that veterans on the backline and midfield can produce more momentum for the youth up front against Kent State (4-7, 1-0 MAC).
“We lost our two leading scorers last year and it’s hard but it’s also a great opportunity for younger players to come up,” Kingsbury said. “Freshmen, sophomores, juniors and even seniors are seeing more time on the field this year. So right now we are working on connecting with each other.”
Luli Gomez Teruel, an undergraduate assistant coach this year, and Jessica Jue lead Ohio with 11 and seven goals, respectively last season. So far, freshmen Maria Russell is the leading scorer with two goals. Redshirt senior Lauryl Desch leads the Bobcats with 14 shots.
In the past two games, a few players, including Kingsbury, have seen more playing time. Macmillan said he is trying to swap players around to help maximize players’ attributes and potential.
For Kent State, it’s all a matter of how much momentum can be carried forward. The Golden Flashes won back-to-back shutouts against Saint Louis and Missouri State last weekend after a five-game losing streak.
However, the Golden Flashes are 0-5 at home and have been outscored 21-12 at Murphy-Mellis Field.
“It’s always a personal rivalry. I know our normal rivalry is Miami, but as a goalkeeper, Kent’s forwards are very tenacious,” goalie Brittany Walker said. “They’re not afraid to get down and dirty and I hope some of the girls are ready for that.”
“Kent and Miami are always two teams atop the conference and putting (Kent) down will put us in a really comfortable position.”
@Lukeoroark
lr514812@ohio.edu
