Ohio (3-3-0) defeated the empowered Dukes (3-4-1) on Duquesne’s senior day. The Bobcats won 2-1 in a match that felt very productive. That win rounded out Ohio’s nonconference schedule, where it won half its games.
Stellar defense from freshman goalkeeper Ayla Rammel and sophomore defender McKenna Hogan halted any offensive pressure for the Dukes. Even when they positioned themselves for goals, their shots went wide.
Duquesne exploded into offense for the first 15 minutes of the match. Led by senior midfielder Kayla Leseck, the Dukes took eight shots, two on goal. Their attacks stuttered afterwards, only making a single shot on goal during the remainder of the half.
Freshman forward Ava Bell gave Ohio its first point of the game. Two Duquesne players converged on senior Jaimason Brooker. She made a long pass to Bell, who evaded defenders and shot across the net into the back post. Bell is one of eight Bobcats with a .500 or higher shots-on-goal percentage.
Hogan was a consistent force in front of Ohio’s net. She performed a save that could sure goal. Rammel deflected the ball, but Duquesne snagged the rebound. Hogan jumped into the perfect position to make the only non-goalkeeper save of the game. The Bobcats relied on Hogan throughout this season. She played the most minutes of anyone so far, including all 90 minutes in the match.
In the second half, Ohio created a scoring opportunity with a long pass past Duquesne’s back line. Junior forward Sania Dearing’s shot went wide.
The Dukes controlled possession for an attack, but eventually, the Bobcats cleared the ball. Dearing did not miss her second chance. Her goal put Ohio up 2-0.
Duquesne quickly bounced back. Freshman midfielder Molly Kinsella used the corner from sophomore forward Brynn Ramsey and scored with a header.
Both goalkeepers ensured 2-1 was the final score. Duquesne goalie Ali Hughes made a split save on Brooker, though it was struck from the stat sheet due to an offside call. Rammel used her height to deflect the ball over the crossbar on an excellently placed shot by Leseck.
Just before the hydration break, Ohio subbed four players. The team’s depth allowed it to continuously use substitutions, and fresh legs ended up being a key advantage in the final stage of play.
The rest of the match was back and forth. Senior forward Kaitlyn Killinger shot with less than 10 minutes to go. Ohio got lucky when the ball went off the crossbar as Duquesne gathered momentum following that shot. Ohio ultimately ended the match in their favor because of smart out-of-bounds plays to waste time
Next, the Bobcats face Western Michigan (2-2-3) Thursday at 4 p.m. at home. Winning that game is crucial to start the conference strong. The Broncos may also need the win given they lost or tied their last three matches.
