With high expectations and no memory of last season, Ohio will begin its 2013 season, as the Bobcats endured numerous heartbreaks on their way to an 8-9 season last year.
“We’ve moved on from everything that happened last season,” coach Neil Macmillan said. “Some of the losses we had last season were hard to take and they hurt our confidence, but we aren’t looking back and were excited for this season.”
In 2012, Ohio played in seven overtime games, but lost five of them, including a 3-2 loss in the Mid-American Conference Tournament to Miami.
Despite outscoring their opponents 40-28 throughout the season and allowing just 1.65 goals per game, which was the lowest in the conference, the Bobcats ended the season under-.500.
Looking ahead to the 2013 campaign, the Bobcats return seven of 11 starters from last year, including second-leading goal scorer Luli Gomez Teruel, a senior from Argentina, and junior goalkeeper Brittany Walker.
Among the graduates from last season, Taylor Brown led the Bobcats in goals scored and points earned, but Macmillan remains confident that the players returning can fill the void left by Brown.
“We’ve always prided ourselves in being a balanced team as far as production and goal scoring,” Macmillan said. “But Taylor just had a natural ability to find the back of the net. This year, we look to go back to being more balanced and I have confidence that the players we have can accomplish that.”
In 2013, Ohio will once again have five seniors to lead the way in Andrea Biegalski, Riley Higgins, Jessica Jue, Katherine Fenzel and Gomez Teruel.
“They’re all great leaders,” Macmillan said. “They all bring something to the team and I look forward to seeing them play this season.”
It’s not only the seniors that Macmillan looks forward to coaching this season.
Some freshmen have caught his eye as well, as he said to watch out for Franziska Schmiedel, from Mulheim, Germany, and Kristen Buchanan from San Diego, Calif.
“Franziska is an experienced player who fits in very well in our system,” Macmillan said. “I’m very excited to (see) Kristen play this season. She’s a great player that is mature beyond her years.”
Macmillan also has high expectations for the upcoming season, though he wants to take it one game at a time toward the goal of winning the MAC Tournament and advancing to the NCAA Tournament.
“You never go into a game expecting to lose,” he said. “So naturally, our goal is to win every game we play, win the MAC and then win every game in the NCAA’s. We’re just going to take every game as it comes and see what happens.”
The Bobcats will begin their season this weekend in Boston when they play No. 16 Boston on Saturday.
tj790511@ohiou.edu
