The Ohio Bobcats (3-5-3, 1-1-2 in Mid-American Conference) traveled to Kalamazoo, Michigan to face the Western Michigan Broncos (6-2-1, 2-0-1 MAC), where the team fell 1-0 to the Broncos.
It was a second-half goal from a Western Michigan corner that gave Ohio its second MAC loss of the season.
The first period was a gritty back-and-forth battle for possession, with the Broncos striking first with a bottom right shot in the second minute by Western Michigan’s Drew Martin that was saved by Ohio goalie Celeste Sloma.
After two straight fouls and a Broncos corner kick in the sixth minute, Western Michigan’s Madi Canada sent a top center shot that was snagged by Sloma. After two offsides, the Broncos sent in a third shot near the end of the tenth minute that was blocked by the Bobcats and turned into a goal kick.
Both teams continued to aggressively fight back and forth for possession with three more fouls between the two squads before Bobcats' senior defender Ella Devers sent in a bottom right shot that was saved by Bronco goalie Reagan Sulaver.
In the 31st minute, Sloma nabbed her third save on Western Michigan’s Abby Werthman’s top center shot. The Bobcats responded in the 37th minute after a free kick with a shot in the bottom-left corner of the net by Iro Fakinou that was saved by Sulaver.
Sloma would nab her fourth save of the half from Broncos Heidi Thomasama in the 40th minute. The Bobcats sent two off-target shots before the first period ended, with both teams still locked at 0-0.
The second half belonged to the Broncos as they opened with a quick goal in the 50th minute from Martin on a top right shot just out of the reach of Sloma. The goal came from one of Western Michigan’s 10 corner kicks.
Western Michigan continued to push the pockets with four more shots between the 57th and 63rd minutes, with only one saved by Sloma.
Ohio’s Sania Dearing placed a shot in the 73rd minute that was stopped by the Broncos' defense. This allowed the Broncos to go on the attack with another shot in the 81st minute by Justina L'Esperance that went wide. Two minutes later, the Broncos placed two more shots into the box, one saved by Sloma, the other wide of the cage. The Bobcats failed to respond, falling 1-0 to the Broncos.
The Broncos outshot the Bobcats 13-5, including a second half that saw eight Broncos shots on goal. Sloma finished the game with six saves for the Bobcats. The Bobcats will look to get back on track this Sunday as they travel to Ypsilanti, Michigan, to face the Eastern Michigan Eagles at 1 p.m. on ESPN+.
