Ohio has dropped four games in a row.
Eastern Michigan came to Chessa Field with a plan Friday.
That plan was to press high up the field, fight Ohio for every 50-50 ball and improve an abysmal 1-6-2 record away from home. And by the end of Friday's game, not only had the Eagles succeeded in that goal, they also managed to hand the Bobcats their 10th loss of the season.
"We didn't battle as hard as they did," coach Aaron Rodgers said. "At the end of the day, when we are in conference play this deep and people are fighting for conference tournament berths, it's just who wants to win more.
"We just were a little bit behind today."
It didn't take long for Ohio (4-10, 2-5 in Mid-American Conference) to fall behind. After not conceding on a set piece all season, the Bobcats were undone in the third minute by an EMU (5-8-2, 2-4-1) corner.
The Bobcats, who've shown a tendency to give up after early goals, quickly rallied back in the ninth minute after redshirt junior Carly Manso played a perfectly weighted through ball to sophomore Mollie Whitacre for the equalizer.
That would be the most memorable run of play for Ohio, as it spent the next 81 minutes being battered, pushed and outran on the ball. EMU did well to limit Ohio's ability to string penetrative passes together and mainly forced the Bobcats to pass it around the back line before hoofing it forward to no avail.
Freshman Mandy Arnzen seemed to be especially frustrated, as her lack of communication with Celeste Fushimi-Karns led directly to the Eagles' second goal. Both players went to clear the same ball and left a wide open space in the box for an EMU forward to slip a shot past freshman goalkeeper Taylor Smith.
"She's had some really good games and you'd expect some strong ones and some where you have growing pains," Rodgers said of Arnzen. "I think she'll learn from it."
Rodgers will need his whole team to learn its lesson if it is to keep its postseason hopes alive. Northern Illinois is the only MAC team with a worse record than Ohio, and if the Bobcats hope to finish in the top eight, they will need three wins out of the next four, Rodgers said.
And with Bowling Green coming to Chessa on Sunday, Rodgers may have the perfect opponent for a rebound. The Falcons currently sit one spot above the Bobcats in the MAC East standings and are on a three-game losing streak of their own. They are also 1-5-1 away from home: just like the Eagles were.
Whether BGSU comes into Chessa as prepared and chippy as EMU was, Ohio must find a way to get a result if it still hopes to make the MAC Tournament.
@kellenbecoats
