After scoring one goal in the previous two seasons, defender Nikki Gnozzio made the biggest goal of the weekend for the Bobcats.
Late in Saturday afternoon's contest with Indiana, Gnozzio scored a goal in double-overtime to clinch a 2-1 win.
Coach Neil Macmillan admitted it wasn't the likeliest of goals, but pointed out that goals can come from anywhere when a game goes into double-overtime.
In overtime
you've got six players out there. Any one of those players can have an influence at any given time he said. We try to encourage players to carry the ball when they're in space and Nikki is one of the fastest and (most) athletic players at the end of games.
She's the Energizer bunny, Macmillan added. She just goes and goes and goes.
With the score tied at one in the second extra period
Gnozzio brought the ball up the field and took a shot on Hoosier goalkeeper Alex Mann. Mann knocked the ball away
but Gnozzio was in the right position for the follow-up.
Although Gnozzio's score secured the win for Ohio
another goal in the 62nd minute changed the momentum of the game
Macmillan said.
Estienne Coetzee found herself on the baseline ' a spot Macmillan said he tells players to shoot from only if they're going to score ' and put the ball just over Mann's shoulder into the back of the net. The point knotted the score at one.
After having some trouble creating offensive opportunities earlier in the season
the Bobcats mustered 15 shots on goal against Indiana and saw those attempts come from six different sources.
That is considerably higher than we'd had in the previous games, Macmillan said. I was really, really pleased with that effort. It's wasn't one or three people doing it. We had production from a number of different sources, and that's really what we were looking for.
All but two players on the Ohio roster saw time during Saturday's game.-
Macmillan said.
They played with a huge amount of energy, he said. That's a testament to what the players did over the summer. I think the style of play that we've implemented this year is really fast, athletic play.
Although Macmillan acknowledged the importance of such a win over a quality opponent
he hesitated to call it a season-changing win. All three of Ohio's losses were to teams ranked in the SFX/NFHCA Division I Top 20 poll
and the Bobcats still have a match-up with No. 2 Wake Forest to prepare for next weekend.
There's no disrespect in losing those games, he said. It's disappointing, and it's even more disappointing that we were really competing with them.
A win like this is a good win
