The Bobcats went into the weekend tied for second place in the Mid-American Conference. They finished as the MAC regular season champions.
With its wins against Ball State and Miami and a little luck, Ohio(10-8, 8-2 MAC) secured the title and the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament.
We're really excited
given the position we put ourselves in by starting the conference 1-2 coach Neil Macmillan said. To go the rest of the way without a loss is fantastic.
The RedHawks came to Athens yesterday riding high after defeating conference leader Kent State the day before. The win over the Golden Flashes placed a huge amount of importance on the game against the Bobcats. The winner would most likely be named conference champions.
Both teams played tough defense the entire contest, just like the first game between the two rivals. The squads spent most of the time in the middle of the field trying to advance, but didn't have much luck.
It just feels so good to shut Miami down said defender Nina Bruno. With them
our defensive strategy is marking. If we execute like we did today
then they don't really have a lot of opportunities.
Miami had the ball most of the second half, but Ohio converted on one of the few chances it had in the period. With just 10 minutes left, forward Marcy Dull launched a hard shot from the top of the scoring circle. The ball flew past Miami goalie Kelsey Dean to put the Bobcats up 1-0.
Dull has played efficiently for the Bobcats late in the season, scoring five goals in the last three games.
It's my senior season
and every game that I play is one more that I'm checking off my list
Dull said. I'm just getting really excited for every game and giving 100 percent.
After that, the RedHawks tried frantically to get on the board, but they could not find the net. When the final horn sounded, the Bobcats began to celebrate their win and the regular season title.
Ohio put itself in position for the title with its dominating win against Ball State. The Bobcats won 3-0, but could have had a few more goals.
The weekend secures a first round bye in the conference tournament, which starts Thursday. The team is feeling confident after the big win Sunday.
We just did a great job today by putting ourselves right at the top of the conference
Macmillan said. With three premier teams in the conference
you don't want to be in the semifinals where two meet
and I think we've avoided (that) with the first seed.
