Ohio junior keeper Mattie Liston climbed another notch in the Ohio record books when she penciled in her 200th career save against DePaul Friday.
She said that she didn’t realize she was going to hit the benchmark until she saw it on Twitter after the game and received a complimentary text message from her father that said, “See you at 300 (saves).”
She said since the milestone wasn’t at the top of her list of goals, the 200-save mark doesn’t rank highly on her list of accomplishments but she is proud of the accomplishment nonetheless.
“It’s a nice gesture, but I’d rather win than anything else,” she said. “That’s just how it goes.”
Liston said breaking the Ohio (1-3) all-time saves record is a possibility and a goal she is shooting toward. She is 77 saves removed from Vanessa Dennis’ career mark of 284.
“Certainly it can be done, but its not going to be easy, Liston said. “Getting 200 saves wasn’t easy, so getting 300 won’t be any different. I’m confident in our team, confident in our defense and I think it’s going to be a good year.”
Liston ranks in fourth on Ohio’s career saves list, following Michelle Meglaughlin, who has 212, and Jess MacLean, who has 224, as well as Dennis.
Liston could very well end up surpassing Meglaughlin’s record of 212 this weekend and could move into second place all time by the end of the season. If she fares exceptionally well as the year wears on, she could potentially break the Bobcats’ record by the end of 2012.
Liston has made 92 saves in each of the past two years at Ohio. If she continues on her current saves trend, she would finish the season in second place all-time with 276 saves.
Ohio senior defender Paige Howard said she was thrilled to see Liston etch her name further in Ohio’s history books.
“I’m so happy for her,” Howard said. “I think that it’s great. She’s a very hardworking, energetic person. It’s fun to play right in front of her and know that she’s back there communicating.”
Ohio will continue nonconference play this weekend when it travels to Kentucky to face Morehead State on Friday. Last year the Bobcats fell to the Eagles (0-3), 2-1, in Athens.
Ohio senior forward Veronica Rock said getting a win against Marshall on Sunday was a big confidence-booster for the team and said the squad is only a couple tweaks away from further unlocking its potential, despite a slow start to the season.
“As far as the team’s concerned, I don’t think it has made any of us think that we’re not capable of a successful season,” Rock said. “We know we have the talent, and with our work ethic I have no doubt that we’ll do just fine this season.”
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