This weekend the Ohio women’s soccer team endured two tough tests on the road against Miami and Ball State, as each were picked to win their respective divisions in the Mid-American Conference in the preseason coaches poll.
Friday at Miami, the Bobcats (5-4-3, 1-2-1 MAC) overcame a barrage of shots and pressure on goal to force a 1-1 tie with the rival RedHawks.
The Bobcat goalies faced 22 shots from the RedHawks, including 11 on net. Senior goalkeeper Mattie Liston was solid in net though, as she recorded a season-high 10 saves — including three in overtime. In comparison, Ohio attempted 11 shots, but only four were on frame.
The Bobcats struck first as freshman forward Alexis Milesky scored an unassisted goal on a shot from right outside the penalty area to give Ohio a 1-0 lead in the 18th minute. With that goal, Milesky is tied for the team lead in goals scored this season with three.
The Redhawks answered almost 20 minutes later when midfielder Jess Bronke beat Liston after a combination of passes from the corner spot to tie the game at one in the 37th minute.
“To play Miami to a 1-1 draw at their place was a good result for us,” coach Aaron Rodgers said. “I told the team after the game last night that we didn’t go into the game to tie it; we went into that game to win it. That being said, we were able to grind out a result, and actually we played well in the second half against Miami.”
Ohio has not beat Miami since 2008, when they trounced the RedHawks 4-1 in Oxford.
Sunday, the Bobcats began slow and allowed two goals in the first seven minutes, which would be the only two Ball State would score all game.
The Bobcats were the better team in the second half, as they out-shot the Cardinals but were still unable to overcome the two-goal deficit. Ohio’s lone score of the game came from an unassisted goal from freshman forward Ali Cislo in the 73rd minute.
“Ali Cislo scored a lot of goals in youth soccer and I know she has goals in her,” Rodgers said. “I think it’s just taken her a little bit longer to adjust to the college pace of the game, but I knew she was going to score some goals this year. She scored a very good goal today, and I give a lot of credit to her. I’m definitely happy with their progress.”
The Bobcats have attempted multiple comebacks in the second half, but Rodgers said the team is still lacking that inner drive to come out in the first half and take it to their opponents.
“We have to come out with a purpose from the very first minute and we came out with a purpose in the second half against Miami,” he said. “We came out with a purpose in the second half today. We have to do that from the very beginning. For us, tactically, when we start to play we do some very good things. We have to determine mentally that we have to start from minute one and not have to look for external stimulus to motivate us.”
The Bobcats are next in action Friday, when they travel to Akron to take the pitch against the Zips at 7:30 p.m.
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