The Mid-American Conference tournament doesn’t begin until next week, but Ohio coach Stacy Strauss told the Bobcats last weekend that their mindset should already be flipped to a postseason mentality.
After Sunday’s win against Northern Illinois, Stauss said the victory buoyed the Bobcats’ confidence, and gave them better control of their tournament hopes.
“I told our team last week that the tournament had already started for us and we need to continue to just take care of business,” Strauss said. “But it is nice knowing we don’t have to rely on anyone else.”
Ohio (8-8-1, 3-5-1 MAC) will control its own destiny Thursday when it takes on Kent State (11-4-2, 6-3-1 MAC) in the last regular season game of the year. The Bobcats will have to win against the Golden Flashes on their home field — which is significantly smaller than Ohio’s Chessa Field — to guarantee a birth in the tournament.
Ohio senior forward Veronica Rock said the Bobcats have prepared for the conditions by shortening their field during practice.
“The only time we ever see a field like that is when we play Kent,” Rock said. “To prepare, we just shrink down our field and play quicker and be a lot more accurate and precise with our passes because there’s not as much room on a tiny field other than that it’s the same game, just a bit smaller.”
Ohio’s defense, which has been strong throughout the year, will have to stop Kent State’s potent offense, which is led by junior forward Jaclyn Dutton. She leads the MAC with 14 goals on the season.
Kent ranks second in the MAC behind Miami in goals and goals against per game. Rock said the fact that Ohio needs a win to continue its season is motivation and a task that the team is not shying away from.
“I think knowing it’s a must-win (game) gives us a little more energy and desire to put balls away and put them away quickly,” Rock said. “I don’t think it scares us at all. I think it motivates us all the more.”
Strauss said that because of the small field Ohio will constantly be under pressure when possessing the ball, and that Kent State has dangerous and dynamic players that are good one-on-one attackers.
She said to combat Kent State’s attack, they need to shore up their individual defense.
Ohio senior defender Paige Howard said the Bobcats need to relax and stick to their style of play against the Golden Flashes.
“We need to play the way we know we can, come out hard, pressure them, relax and do what we do best,” Howard said.
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