Making a return to play in one's hometown is always a big deal for an athlete. There is added pressure on such athletes to perform in these situations but also the excitement of knowing they can showcase their talents in front of friends and family.
Defender Lauren Stahlhuth has the opportunity to do just that as the Bobcat field hockey team travels to her hometown, St. Louis, Mo., this weekend to face Mid-American Conference foe Missouri State and the Saint Louis Billikens.
Ohio will be looking to rebound from its tough loss in Columbus on Wednesday. The Bobcats lost the contest 4-0 to the No. 10 ranked Ohio State in what was a sub par performance from Ohio.
We just didn't come out as intense as we had been in the past couple of games and that was pretty obvious in our play
forward Torrie Albini said. We made simple mistakes that they capitalized on and that definitely hurt us.
Although the Bobcats did not look to be at their best Wednesday, they have a good chance to make up for their poor play and maintain their lead in the MAC as they begin their weekend against a Missouri State team that has not won a game yet this season.
Following their match-up with Missouri State, the Bobcats will face Saint Louis in the team's sixth consecutive game on the road. Ohio's record thus far on the road swing has been 2-2, but both wins came against conference opponents.
The two MAC wins are big for the Bobcats, and starting off the conference season at 3-0, with all three wins coming on the road, would be a huge boost for Ohio.
If they were to do so, they would be in excellent shape as they opened their home MAC schedule, which begins next weekend against Central Michigan and is followed by all five MAC home contests in succession.
However, the Bobcats are not looking that far ahead just yet.
That will be exciting next weekend. We'll have a greater comfort level and we'll be happy to be back at home
coach Neil Macmillan said. That will be a fun stretch
but we have to get through this weekend first.
The Bobcats face the Bears at 3 p.m. Saturday and then finish up their six-game stretch on the road against St. Louis at 2 p.m. Sunday.
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Joe Rudemiller
