The Ohio lacrosse team plays Northwestern Saturday for its second consecutive home game against an opponent in the top 25.
The Bobcats do not have a good history against Northwestern, which is ranked third in the nation and has been picked by a preseason poll to win it all this season.
Since 2002, when the Wildcats regained varsity status, they have gone 3-0 against the Bobcats.
Last season they won 25-7 in Evanston, and the season before that they licked Ohio 13-9 in Athens.
They've had tremendous success in three seasons
coach Kate Brew said.
Pruitt Field has traditionally been a reliable venue for Ohio, which was undefeated in Athens last season, at 6-0.
Though a 2-8 record on the road was the team's bane, invincibility at home kept it afloat.
This year is a different story so far with the Bobcats losing their first two games at home.
The first was a close 6-5 overtime loss to Duquesne and the second a 16-10 defeat at the hands of 20th-ranked Notre Dame.
Team confidence is nevertheless high going into tomorrow's game.
We need to continue to build on things we did well our first two games Brew said. I think we played nice pieces of each game; we need to tie that together. We're super-confident. More good news for Ohio is the availability of Dana Dobbie, who did not play against Northwestern last season because of a concussion that incapacitated her for five games.
Despite her stretch on the bench, she still finished the season as the team's second leading scorer, with 48 points. She leads the team in points scored this season, with seven.
Dobbie will prove to be a good asset against what Brew labeled a high-pressure team. We're looking to move the ball more offensively Brew said.
Frigid weather tomorrow might make it hard for anyone to move. The unfriendly lacrosse conditions may change the complexion of the game.
It makes the game sometimes a bit slower
Brew said. We practiced yesterday and it was incredibly cold. You just have to fight through it. Short of a blizzard
we're out there. The draw is scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday at Pruitt Field.
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