The Bobcats will play the Tribe and Rams this weekend in Virginia.
Coach Neil Macmillan and the Bobcats will be on the road again this weekend.
After splitting the first two games this season, the Bobcats (1-1) will be heading to Virginia for a two-game road trip. Ohio will play William and Mary (1-1) Friday before heading to Richmond to play Virginia Commonwealth University (0-1) Sunday.
William and Mary went 7-12 last season and is 1-1 to start 2015. Macmillan said the Tribe is a similar team to the Bobcats, yet Ohio’s speed gives it an edge.
“They are well-coached and have a good idea of what they want to do on the field,” Macmillan said of William and Mary. “I would match up our speed against anyone else, and hopefully that’s something as the season goes on we learn to use to our advantage.”
Although the Bobcats’ speed is one of their strengths, Ohio will need its defense in order to compete against VCU. Last Saturday, the Rams scored three goals in a double overtime loss to last year’s Mid-American Conference champions, the Golden Flashes.
Macmillan, however, said scoring goals will also be essential to keeping pace with the Rams.
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“For us, we have to get down on the offensive end, and scoring goals will be the real key to winning the game,” Macmillan said.
Ohio's offense helped it score three goals during its opening weekend — two against .Saint Francis and one against Lock Haven. Senior Clarissa Leickly said there's been noticeable improvement on the offensive end since last season.
“I think we’re definitely getting the ball in the cage this year,” Leickly said. “Our offense can really find those pockets.”
Though the Bobcats’ offense has shown improvement in their first two games, Macmillan said the team can improve in general areas of the game come this weekend.
“We played well, but there are general themes across the whole field we need to improve on,” Macmillan said. “Our ball retention is one, as we gave too many easy turnovers up front and from the back.”
Macmillan said Ohio would work on some receiving skills during practice in order to improve its ball retention.
As the Bobcats play their third and fourth games of the season, they expect to compete against two Virginia teams that scored a combined seven goals this season.
“This weekend, we want to continue to move forward, move upward and get better as a team,” Leickly said. “We want to find the options, and want to move the ball up the field better.”
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