Ohio stayed alive with its hopes of sneaking into the Mid-American Conference Tournament with a 2-0 win over Miami at Chessa Field during Senior Day on Sunday. Here are three things learned from the first win over Ohio's rival since 2008.
Goodbye Seniors
Ohio honored seniors Natalie Estes, Brooke Kemerer, Alexis Milesky, Kinsey Swartztrauber and Mollie Whitacre before the game. The senior class has been with coach Aaron Rodgers since he arrived in Athens four seasons ago. They'll all leave some sort of an impression on the program, and Rodgers, as they leave.
Milesky scored in the 55th minute to give Ohio a lead it wouldn't relinquish.
There is still a chance
The Bobcats still have a chance to get into the MAC Tournament. The top eight teams get into the tournament, and for the Bobcats to reach the top eight, they would need to win out by beating Kent State on Thursday. The team need help as well, the Bobcats need Bowling Green to lose in order to secure their spot in the top eight.
With Ohio basically playing one-game seasons at this point. The wins on Thursday and Sunday over Ball State and Miami at least keeps the team alive for another day.
Each win gives the team some momentum going into that next day, but Rodgers said that his team is resilient, and won't give up easily.
Ball control is key
The Bobcats definitely stuck to the strategy of attacking and possession play in the win. The match was mostly played on the Miami half of the field, as the Bobcats outshot the RedHawks 19-9 over the course of the game.
This constant pressure on the goal and control of the ball not only helped in the two goals scored, but also helped to keep the lead as Miami was only able to get three shots off in the second half.
This possession of the ball also was a big help for the rare defender score. The goal came from junior defender Celeste Fushimi-Karns who scored her first goal of the season in the 74th minute.
"It's not common for a defender to score," Fushimi-Karns said laughingly after the game.
The Bobcats will look to keep the winning streak going and their playoff hopes alive Thursday, when Ohio wraps up its regular season at home against Kent State.
