The Bobcats lost 3-0 to California on Saturday in Bloomington, Indiana. They still haven't won a game this year.
Ohio dropped its third game of the year Saturday to California after freshman Elena Curley had two shots on goal and goalkeeper Brittany Walker tallied a season high in saves with eight.
The Bobcats fell 3-0 in their first away game after the Golden Bears midfielder Alie Zimmer scored on the 54th minute.
It was the second consecutive game the Bobcats were shut out, as Ohio has not scored since their season opener against Boston. The last time Ohio was shut out in two consecutive matches was in September 2010.
“I think we were outplayed today and unfortunately we couldn’t keep up with Cal, tactically,” coach Neil Macmillan said. “We did a great job with our effort and energy on the field.”
Ohio gave up a goal in the first fifteen minutes — a trend that has followed the Bobcats each game this year — as the Golden Bears’ Lara Kruggel scored just five minutes into the game. Kruggel had two goals.
“We shared a lot of positives from keeping our head in the game and really keeping the flow going,” Macmillan said. “We certainly suffered in the last 25 (minutes). We weren’t able to really put anything together until the late second half.”
On a misty day, California outshot Ohio 20-2 and had an advantage in corners with three. Eight of those 20 shots came courtesy of Kruggel, as Ohio did not shoot until the closing moments of the second half.
“Our defense was resolute today,” Macmillan said. “I thought Adele (Sammons) did a great job in the back. Everyone else who played across the backline did a really good job for us today. Britt played well in goal and kept us in the game."
Through the first three games, Macmillan has played a variety of players, as he thought the Bobcats’ inexperience showed at times.
Curley played all 70 minutes, while freshmen Rachel Kho and Cassie Rich both played close to 50 minutes.
Freshman Maria Russell, who hails from Hudson, Ohio, is still the Bobcats leading scorer after three games. Russell scored two goals in Ohio’s season opener on Aug. 31, but didn’t generate enough offense for the Bobcats in her 45 minutes of play.
After the win, California moved to 2-2 on the season. Of the Golden Bears 11 shots on goal, 7 came from Kruggel and midfielder Paula Seibt.
This season, the Bobcats have a difficult out-of-conference schedule which includes home games against Ohio State, Indiana, Louisville and Wake Forest. Ohio also faced off against Syracuse earlier in the year.
Even with the loss, Macmillan said he was proud of his team and knew they fought all the way through the game.
@Lukeoroark
lr54812@ohio.edu
