With just 16 minutes left in a scoreless play-in game for the NCAA Tournament yesterday, the Ohio field hockey team blinked.
Forward Andrea Lo from No. 12 California just happened to be in the right place at the right time, tipping in a rebound for a goal to give the Golden Bears the eventual 1-0 win, ending a magical run by the Bobcats.
They just got a little lucky with one
Ohio coach Neil Macmillan said. The ball rebounded off of Jessie (Martin's) stick right to one of their players and she was there to tap it in. Another day that goes out of bounds
and it's a corner rather than a goal. That was a shame.
But Ohio (13-9) didn't go down easily to the NorPac champions. In fact, the Bobcats matched the Golden Bears in all statistical areas, with 13 shots on goal to the Golden Bears' 12 and nine penalty corners to their six.
It was a very even game
Macmillan said. We matched them minute for minute. To play that well and not come away with a victory is disappointing.
We had enough opportunities, and we just didn't finish on any of them. That's sort of been a problem for us once or twice this year.
However
senior captain and back Amanda Arnold said although it's tough to end a season because of one goal
having a close score is much better than a blowout.
I'd much rather go down having fought, she said. We put ourselves in such a good position to win. It's just tough knowing how close we were.
Rachelle Coetzee led the Bobcats with six shots
but no one could get past Golden Bears goalkeeper Veronica Sykes
who finished with five saves and her fifth shutout of the year.
Their keeper played exceptionally well, Macmillan said. She won them the game.
Yet while most Ohio players find comfort in thinking of next year's possibilities
for the three seniors ' Arnold
forward Celine McNamara and midfielder Megan Rentschler ' they can only think about how far they've come.
It's the last time we're going to play as a team, McNamara said. Every team ends on a loss unless you're the national champions, and it's just hard to end on a loss.
The Golden Bears were the seventh ranked opponent the Bobcats faced this year. But with Ohio capturing a Mid-American Conference championship and a regular season title
