Ohio (3-5-0, 0-2-0 Mid-American Conference) faced the University of Massachusetts Minutewomen (8-1-0, 2-0-0 MAC) Sunday in a 2-0 shutout loss. The match was held at Logan High School's Chieftain Center due to rainy conditions at Chessa Field. The win extended UMass’s win streak to five. The team sits comfortably at the top of the MAC now, as it is the only team with more than five wins.
Neither team had a clear advantage. Ohio had 16 shots, while UMass had 15. Both goalkeepers were put to work. Leah Nisenfeld, junior UMass goalkeeper, made key saves to earn her shutout. She consistently picked up rebounds when she couldn’t make the first save.
Sania Dearing, junior forward, used her speed to create scoring opportunities. Freshman midfielder Camille Francis pressured UMass’s back line every time she possessed the ball. In the end, two bad plays in the box gave UMass practically free points.
“We have to defend set pieces better,” Ohio Head Coach Aaron Rodgers said. “You can win or lose on set pieces. That’s what happened today.”
In the first half, the Minutewomen and the Bobcats started deadlocked. Junior midfielder Iro Fakinou left the field after tangling feet with an opposing player. She has been a consistent part of Ohio’s starting offense. Her absence was an early blow to the team. She returned in the second half.
Senior midfielder Jaimason Brooker and Dearing each made two and one shots, respectively. Dearing’s forced Nisenfeld to gather the ball after she bobbled it. Nisenfeld showed her skill at collecting a rebound throughout the match.
Then, it was UMass’s turn. The team made a flurry of shot attempts. Freshman goalie Ayla Rammel made her first saves of the match. Francis battled her way through two shot attempts.
The Bobcats could not convert on a corner kick, but the Minutewomen did. Graduate student and midfielder Emma Burke took the kick. Graduate student and forward Nia Hislop scored.
UMass kept the momentum for the rest of the half, even if the team did not always control possession. Ohio struggled to finish on any chances. As the clock wound down, a rain shower reflected the Bobcats’ dwindling opportunities.
The drizzle stopped during halftime. At the start of the second half, the Bobcats rallied as the sun did. They kept the ball in their offensive zone most of the first 10 minutes. Senior midfielder Kate Robinson took two shots. Dearing, redshirt senior defender Ella Deevers and Fakinou hustled to create chances. Senior forward Melia Peer took a corner kick, but sent it out of bounds before it reached the goal.
“In open play, we created a lot of good chances,” Rodgers said. “We weren’t quite clinical enough to finish them.”
The referees called a penalty on Ohio’s junior defender Sarah Helphinstine. Sophomore midfielder Amelia Deren scored on the penalty kick. The Minutewomen’s second goal did not deflate the Bobcats’ fight.
UMass’s junior forward Morgan Bellamy left the game after she was fouled. Both goalkeepers continued to shine. Rammel made four saves in the second half, and Nisenfeld made five.
Near the end, two problematic plays added drama to the match. Nisenfeld, Francis and UMass senior forward Carolina Benitez jumped for a ball in the box. Their collision injured Benitez, and Francis took the blame and the foul.
Minutewomen sophomore forward Aline Traber earned a blatant foul. Her loud protests earned her a yellow card. The resulting free kick led to another free kick in perfect position for a goal. Freshman midfielder Meaghan Cochrane launched the ball directly into Nisenfeld’s waiting gloves.
Ohio could not take advantage of the two corners, cementing the loss.
“We have got to finish our chances,” Rodgers said. “We have a week of training until next Sunday at Akron. That’s something we’re going to have to focus on.”
Next, the Bobcats play the University of Akron Zips (4-4-1, 0-1-1 MAC) in Akron, Sunday at 1 p.m. To earn their first conference win, the Bobcats must show up with confidence and avoid sloppy plays that lead to set pieces.
