Ohio will be back on the road this weekend as it travels to Western Michigan and Northern Illinois for two crucial matchups.
The Bobcats (6-7-1, 3-2-1 MAC) sit in good position at the halfway point of Mid-American Conference play. They were able to bounce back strongly following a shocking defeat to Buffalo with a 5-0 shutout win at Akron on Sunday. Despite the loss to Buffalo, a win over Akron was enough to keep the Bobcats ahead of the Bulls — second in the MAC East.
The Bobcats start their weekend Friday at Western Michigan. The Broncos (8-4-1, 3-2-1 MAC) boast the same conference record as the Bobcats. They are positioned at fourth in the MAC West. Just like the Bobcats, they are hungry for a couple vital wins in order to stay in the postseason hunt.
The player to watch for the Broncos will be Grace Labadie, who has scored four goals so far this season. The Bobcats will also have to slow down the offensive prowess of Emma Kahn, who has had 13 shots on goal in 26 shots and also has two goals on the season.
Friday’s match will begin at 4 p.m. in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Northern Illinois will present Ohio with a tough test Sunday. The Huskies (7-5-1, 4-2-0 MAC) are coming off back-to-back wins and are second in the MAC West, ahead of Toledo.
The Husky to defend will be Taylor Sarver. Sarver has recorded three goals on the season and has eight shots on goal in 11 shot attempts. If the game is close Sunday, the Bobcats will also need to keep an eye out for talented midfielder Allie Ingram. She scored the game winner for the Huskies last Thursday against Miami and had the assist that led to the game winner for her team at Ball State on Sunday.
Kickoff Sunday is scheduled for 1 p.m. in DeKalb, Ill.
Ohio will look to the duo of Allie Curry and Hannah Jaggers to lead the team this weekend. The two had scored 11 of Ohio’s 12 goals on the season before the Akron game.
Ohio will also look to maintain its physical style of play, which has become an identity for the team throughout conference action this year.
