Ohio (2-3) finishes its non-Mid-American Conference play this weekend with a loss to Davidson (3-3), the score being 2-1. The offense struggled to get going during the game until the very last minute, which sealed the deal for the team. Davidson was able to maintain offensive pressure that game and eventually broke through the Bobcats' defense.
“Conference, no conference, same preparation,“ head field coach Ali Johnstone said. "Tons of film and trying to figure out our super strengths against them.”
Davidson dominated time of possession with the ball early in the first quarter, though neither team scored. After an onslaught of barrages from Davidson and Ohio’s goalkeeper having a strong game, the Bobcats had few chances to get on the board. The biggest one being a score from Marie De Grande, which was overturned to an unsuccessful goal after being put on the scoreboard. That led to both teams being tied after the first, with momentum not belonging to either team just yet, with the score at 0-0.
As soon as the second quarter started, Ohio tried to get points by rushing the Davidson goal, but they were stopped, with possession back in the hands of Davidson. Such was the story for most of the second quarter, as neither team wanted to keep the ball in their possession for too long. The Bobcats had a few close calls with back-to-back penalty corners from Davidson getting sent away from the goal by Molly Schreiner.
Ohio’s defense was the MVP of that quarter, as it fended off repeated shots from Davidson, with four saves coming from Schreiner in particular. Despite the defense performing quite positively, the offense lagged far behind with a lack of notable plays. That resulted in the score retaining 0-0 by halftime.
“We just needed to step in front and just be a little bit more aggressive,“ Ohio back fielder Ava Florence said.
With the halftime timer out, both teams took the field again, each looking for its first score in the game. Davidson was the first to strike around four minutes into the quarter. After heavily laying into the Bobcats defenses, Davidson finally came out with a lead in the game thanks toLourdes Wolf, who became something of a leading goal scorer. After that goal, Davidson remained dominant on the ball, not letting Ohio get many chances at the net.
Davidson would pile on the score again with another goal coming off of a penalty. The pressure from Davidson didn’t stop after that either. The Bobcats couldn’t get the ball rolling on offense, and sloppy passes cost them important looks. The hole was dug, and it was left to Ohio to get out of it with the remaining time.
The 3rd quarter ended with Davidson up 2-0.
“Our body language is normally like we are out working, out hustling, out running and we were second to the ball each time,“ Johnstone said. "We changed our press to see if we could close the gap with their midfields.”
At the start of the fourth quarter, Ohio earned a penalty corner that got stopped in its tracks by Davidson. It was the first sign of life for the Bobcat offense in the second half. The same pressure from Davidson’s offense persisted in the fourth as well, with Ohio on its constantly on its hells. There were a few moments to breathe, but most of the time was spent on protecting the goal.
“We just talked about it like the energy we had in the last minute and a half should have been there the whole time" Johnstone reported. "Just try and bottle it up next time.”
The tide began to change as Ohio scored a goal of a penalty kick late into the quarter with nearly a minute on the clock. Ohio was suddenly sent into a rush, subbing out its goalie for another forward and trying everything to score a goal to tie the game. The Bobcats came up short, and Davidson would take the game 2-0. With that loss, Ohio will continue on the road to start MAC play, with its first opponent being UMass.
