Sunday was all about the seniors at Chessa Field as the Bobcats defeated Eastern Michigan 1-0. It earned crucial three points for seeding in the Mid-American Conference Tournament and has seemingly returned to their winning ways like they had earlier in the season.
It was Senior Day for Ohio, and its five seniors were honored before what could be their final match at Chessa Field. If the Bobcats don’t finish in the top four in the MAC, the seniors will not have another opportunity to play in front of their home fans.
Ohio’s play was centered around senior Alivia Milesky, who dominated in midfield once again. She was constantly battling for the ball and giving the Eagles a tough time to run any of their systems.
Anything that got past Milesky was dealt with by fellow senior Victoria Breeden, who led Ohio to its fourth shutout of the season with a fantastic performance in central defense.
“It’s awesome coming off these six points,” Breeden said. “It gives us a little momentum going into an away weekend.”
Those six points are critical for the Bobcats if they are going to get a home playoff match this year. They are going into a tough weekend in which they have to play away against Ball State, who are currently second in the MAC.
These six points could kickstart a run for the Bobcats that gets them a home match in the MAC Tournament. They wouldn’t have gotten them, however, if it weren’t for senior Sydney Leckie, who scored the winning goal with just six minutes remaining in the match.
“I’ve been struggling this season with scoring a little bit, but it felt really good to put one in the back of the net,” Leckie said.
If this was the seniors’ last match at Chessa Field, they have left a great legacy for the program and will be sorely missed.
“These seniors are amazing,” coach Aaron Rodgers said. “I don’t have any words to describe how much they mean to this program.The legacy they have left will live on and on.”
Ohio is back in action with an away weekend next week against Miami on Thursday and Ball State on Saturday.
