On average, it takes about one year for a baby to take its first steps.
At the end of Aaron Rodgers’ first year at the helm for Ohio, the team started to take those first baby steps toward greater future success, but he’s hoping to avoid the “terrible twos,” better known in the sports world as the sophomore slump.
The Bobcats recorded their best performance of the season with a scoreless draw against eventual Mid-American Conference Champions Western Michigan on Oct. 20.
Ohio also rode a six-game unbeaten streak after opening MAC play with a 3-1 win over Bowling Green, showing it can play well for stretches of the season.
The Bobcats exhibit progress throughout the season, taking baby steps each game.
“We made a lot of strides for Ohio soccer,” freshman forward Alexis Milesky said. “We scored more goals this season. There are so many marks that we hit and we’re on the up-rise. I think it was success, but it’s still not good enough.”
The Bobcats saw the most progress in the goal-scoring category, as Ohio scored its most goals in a season since 2004 with 26 balls finding the back of the net. The top three scorers were underclassmen, freshman Milesky and Carly Manso and sophomore Holly Harris.
“I think the more we play with each other the better it’s going to get,” Milesky said. “We lost Maggie and Mattie, but the rest of our team is really young. The more we play together, the more we get to know each other’s playing style, the better it’s going to be.”
As the team continues to gain experience and mature, the Bobcats will look to improve on their minus-one goal differential. Another goal Rodgers has for his team is hosting a MAC Tournament game, which the Bobcats have not done since 2008.
“We are starting to grow our mental and physical base of endurance,” Rodgers said. “In the spring, I think we will continue that. The girls that we’re bringing in here will only bring a great mentality of winning and dedicated mentality.”
Next year will also feature Rodgers’ first recruiting class, which might prove vital to the program’s success going forward.
The class consists of a goalkeeper, two defensemen and an attacking player, all of whom Rodgers said come from competitive clubs and backgrounds. He has stressed keeping a competitive environment, as it should provide more growth for the team.
“I think we made a lot of progress,” Rodgers said. “I would have liked to finish higher in the league. This is an ongoing process, as I’ve said from day one, and it’s going to be a process continual. I did see some movement of the needle forward.”
ak849511@ohiou.edu
@Kovarandrew
