Fresh off a rainy spring season opener, the Bobcats are ready to plunge back into action against West Virginia Wesleyan.
Ohio will look to match the same start that it managed against Capital last weekend. Within the first three minutes of Saturday’s game, the Bobcats established a 1-0 lead and a commanding presence in their attacking third.
Forwards Maggie Murnane and Veronica Rock put heavy pressure on the Crusaders’ defense, helping Ohio create turnovers and prevent clearances.
“We definitely want to be very assertive with our attack and that’s something that we hope to continue,” coach Stacy Strauss said.
The Bobcats will also hope to continue to convert on corner kicks. Alex Stec scored on a service from Rock last game.
“Our focus is on winning the first ball,” Strauss said. “Then, any shots that we get off, we want to hit the frame and get them off quickly.”
In the midfield, Ohio is still trying to establish itself. The younger core of players will be working to improve positioning among other tactics in the spring.
“We need the player who plays in the more defensive role to communicate a bit more,” Strauss said. “That will keep (the midfield) more organized. They will have better shape and that will, in turn, enable them to play off of each other a bit better.”
Midfielder Cat Rogers mentioned the team’s shape issues on Saturday, but believed that more communication can help solve the problem and make the transition into next season smoother.
One area where the on-field chatter seemed to be working well was on defense. The team allowed only three shots against the Crusaders.
“I thought we had a few lapses in the first half but following that I thought it was much improved,” Strauss said.
The team plays a flat back, meaning all four defensive players are in line with each other. While this can act as an offside trap, Strauss said that is not the Bobcats’ intention. However, the flat back does make the team more susceptible to dangerous through balls.
“There are a few opportunities where balls may go through and that’s where we rely on the speed of specifically Paige Howard and Natalie Bechtel to clean things up for us,” Strauss said.
Up Next…
Ohio vs. West Virginia Wesleyan
Chessa Field
6:30 p.m. Thursday
mm938910@ohiou.edu
