Canada is not usually known for soccer, but the Bobcats are changing that.
Senior forward Jasmine Merith, redshirt-junior defender Rachael Goulding and freshman midfielder Cathryn Rogers are all natives of Ontario. All three have played significant minutes this season, and Rogers scored one of Ohio's four goals.
Merith and Goulding played on the same club team, which is where coach Stacy Strauss had her first look at the players.
I saw them play a couple of times at tournaments here in [the United States]
and I recruited them and was very happy to get both of them Strauss said.
Rogers worked with the same coach as Goulding and Merith, which led to her recruitment, Strauss said.
In a country known better for hockey and cold weather than soccer, the trio has found a home in Athens.
It's a beautiful campus Merith said. I fell in love with the scenery.
Sports are just so much bigger here and so much better
Rogers said.
It's far more advanced here with sports
Goulding said. It's a big thing for Canadians to come and play in the United States. With the current success, Strauss is open to continue recruiting Canadian players.
There are certainly great players right here in the state of Ohio
Strauss said. Unfortunately
we're competing with 12 other Division I programs right here in the state.
At some point, if we can't get the type of players we want from in state or from the region, then yeah, we'll look to add one per class internationally, Strauss said.
The Bobcats (1-4-0) will be home this weekend for their last two non-conference games of the year. They will take on Morehead State (3-4-1) and Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (0-4-1).
This is the last chance for the Bobcats to gain momentum before entering conference play next weekend.
I think that we need to definitely get a result, Strauss said. We've done a lot of things well, and the frustrating thing is that we've let games slip away.
The team's goal this weekend is to take advantage of scoring opportunities and play solid 90-minute games
Strauss said.
If we do that, we'll get a win, then the confidence will build, and we can take some momentum going into conference play.",",2,Sports,Vince Nairn,",",",",",","
29073,2009-09-18 01:24:00,Field Hockey: Pennsylvania provides team with 'hotbed' of top recruits,When Ohio travels to Robert Morris this weekend
many of its players will be returning to their home state.,When Ohio travels to Robert Morris this weekend
many of its players will be returning to their home state.
Eleven of the 20 Bobcats are from Pennsylvania
with a number of them coming from eastern Pennsylvania.
Coach Neil Macmillan said the state
