HED: Ohio hosts Xavier, Eastern Kentucky in home openers
The Bobcats will host a pair of games this weekend and begin a stretch of playing five of their next six matches at home.
This is a big weekend for the Ohio, in more ways than one.
After a slow start on the road, the Bobcats begin their month-long stay at Chessa Field, where they will play five of their six September matches.
“It’s early in the season and I think we’re in a good place in our growth,” said coach Aaron Rodgers. “I know I’m looking forward to playing at home and the girls are looking forward to playing in front of their friends and family.”
The squad hosts Xavier on Friday, in what Rodgers referred to a derby—a match between two teams from roughly the same region.
“Xavier is going to be a good, organized side,” he said. “It’s kind of like a local derby in the sense that we have a lot of kids from the Cincinnati, Ohio, area and we know that they do too. So it should be a good game.”
The Musketeers also will roll into Athens with a 1-3 record, which Rodgers believes will allow play to be open from both teams. And with open play, more opportunities will arise for the Bobcats to showcase its attacking style the second-year coach is trying to foster.
This past weekend, there were hints of aggression, but not as many as this Friday and Sunday will produce.
In Ohio’s 1-0 victory against Wright State, the Bobcats scored less than 90 seconds into the match, giving them a comfortable lead that they could defend.
Fast forward to Sunday, when Ohio lost 3-0 to Kentucky, and the team spent most of the match preventing the Wildcats from scoring, rather than creating its own chances.
Friday afternoon’s match should allow the Bobcats to concoct a medley of both.
Sunday’s matchup should be more of the same, as Ohio hosts Eastern Kentucky. When the teams met in 2013, the Bobcats ran away with a •5-1 victory, coinciding with Rodgers’ first win with the program.
“We beat them pretty well last year,” he said. “I’m sure they’re going to come into here remembering that and will do a better job defending against us. These should both be two challenging matches.”
Rodgers expects his side to pressure both the Musketeers and Colonels early on, hopefully forcing an error and take advantage. He also said his optimistic and things Bobcat fans will finally see the attacking presence he’s brought to the program.
“We’re trying to come out and attack,” he said. “I definitely expect to attack a lot more this weekend.”
@charliehatch_
gh181212@ohiou.edu
