To finish its two-game stretch in North Carolina, Ohio traveled to Winston-Salem to play the seventh-ranked team in the country, Wake Forest. Despite best efforts from Ohio, the game was a landslide victory for Wake Forest, who won 6-1. The game was tied at the half with the Bobcats looking like they had a shot at winning, but Wake Forest’s offense came alive in the second half, crushing those dreams.
The shot difference between the teams was staggering. Ohio only managed three shots the whole game, averaging less than a shot per quarter, while Wake Forest had a whopping 43, a bit over 14 times more than Ohio. The Bobcats did not manage a single shot in the second half, while Wake Forest put up 27 during that period. Wake Forest also had 16 saves and stayed in attack mode while Ohio played passively.
Ohio came out on top in the first quarter with a goal. The goal was scored by Ohio junior Deborah James and gave Ohio the momentum it needed. Ohio’s defense was able to fend off Wake Forest with four saves in the first quarter. Ohio ended the first quarter in the lead at 1-0.
Wake Forest evened the score in the second quarter, after Ohio’s defense managed to hold the team scoreless for the first 24 minutes. Wake Forest senior Rory Heslin delivered the first blow to Ohio’s offense. After letting one goal through, the Bobcats remained solid for the rest of the quarter, not allowing more scores. However, Wake Forest pushed the pressure and attempted eight more shots.
The third half is where things really crumbled for Ohio. After what seemed to be a disappointing first half for Wake Forest, it really locked things in and scored a goal two minutes into the second half, coming from senior Ava Moore. This was just the first part of the onslaught, and another goal came nearly a minute later from senior Faye Janse and quickly turned the tide away from Ohio.
However, Wake Forest didn’t want to stop at two goals. It scored four goals alone in the next quarter, all but burying the Bobcats and putting them in a six-foot ditch. The next Wake Forest goal came three minutes later, by freshman Bianca Rees-Gibbs. Finally, right near the end of the third quarter, another nail was driven into the Ohio defense with Wake Forest’s junior Sarah Mudd scoring the final goal of the quarter.
Ohio had no answer for this reawakened Wake Forest offense, with 15 shots attempted and only having four saves; it was a disaster. Ohio still had a shot to grab the lead again, but it would need four goals in the last quarter to even tie the contest.
Only one team scored in the fourth and final quarter of the game, and it was not Ohio. Once again, a few minutes into the quarter, Moore scored for Wake Forest, her second goal of the game. This pretty much sealed Ohio’s fate, as the offense did not score and Wake Forest started playing to win instead of all-out scoring.
This was a rough game for Ohio, but it played a nationally ranked team with loads of talent. This is a learning experience for Ohio, but it did perform well in the first half. Ohio returns home next weekend for the alumni game and a game against Davidson, which is its final game before Mid-American Conference play.
