Sometimes a road trip can be a vacation, but for the Bobcats, this is not one of those weekends.
Ohio continues its season with a pair of the toughest games of the year. The Bobcats, who are in first place in the Mid-American Conference East Division, take on first-place Toledo and second-place Ball State of the West Division.
“I think it’s going to be two really tough games, two physical games,” senior midfielder Sara Seitz said. “We just need to match their physical play and play around them and play technically, and we’ll definitely come out on top.
Toledo is the only unbeaten team in conference play, and Ball State boasts the same 3-1 record that Ohio has. It might prove to be a difficult weekend for the Bobcats, who are not used to being in first place.
“I don’t think being first has added any pressure,” coach Stacy Strauss said. “I think now we need to just continue the way we have been playing. But we’re definitely going to have to be even better against the likes of Toledo and Ball State.”
Last weekend, Ohio came home with two solid wins and the MAC Offensive Player of the Week in senior Toye Famodu, who scored two of the four goals of the weekend.
Ohio will need Famodu and the rest of the Bobcats to be at the top of their game going into the weekend if they are to pull out two more wins.
“Toye has been the most consistent forward on the year, and I think the goal scoring has been coming,” Strauss said. “It’s nice see her not only get the goals but be rewarded also. The way she is playing right now, she is the total package and she’s pretty tough to defend.”
Playing away can give the team an edge with the bonding time that comes with travel and the motivation to beat teams on their own field.
“When we travel we just have so much fun together,” Famodu said. “We just get pumped when it’s away and especially because it’s the MAC. I think going away we may just be a little bit more ready to go in and score goals.”
For Famodu and the other veteran players, the game against Toledo will have a little extra motivation. Ohio fell to Toledo 2-0 Oct. 1 last season and then ended its season with a loss to the Rockets in the MAC tournament. The games continue to stand out in Famodu’s memory heading into the weekend.
“I just know we owe Toledo from last year. We didn’t end on a good note, we had a really good game against them, but we lost,” she said. “I look back at that and think, ‘Okay I’m ready to play you now.’ I think we’re all ready to play them now, especially after last year.”
