Ohio lost a close one on the road against Saint Francis on Sunday by a margin of 2-1. Ohio was looking to get its first road win of the season, but it ultimately came up short in a low-scoring match, failing to get the best of the Saint Francis defense.
The match began with a high point for Ohio, as junior midfielder Katelyn Whittle scored off an assist from freshman midfielder Bodhi Littlefield in just the first minute of the first period. This early goal created high hopes, but would prove to be Ohio’s only score of the day.
Halfway through the first period, the Red Flash answered with an impressive backhand goal by freshman defender Eva Valentini. This goal tied the match at 1-1.
This score remained throughout the second and third periods, as the match was highly defense-oriented. Throughout these two periods, Saint Francis had just two shots on goal while Ohio recorded seven — none of which were made into goals for either team.
This dry period of no scoring persisted until the final minutes of the fourth quarter. With less than four minutes to play, Saint Francis was awarded a penalty corner, and Valentini secured yet another goal for the Red Flash. This sealed Ohio’s fate in the match, for it was unable to get its offense together in the remaining minutes.
With this loss, the Bobcats fall to 2-7. They face their next opponent in a match against Ball State on Sept. 24 at 3:00 p.m. This match will be crucial for Ohio, as it cannot afford to build on its current two-match losing streak.
