Coach Aaron Rogers has brought many changes for Ohio, and the results have proved successful so far—the Bobcats have finished their non-conference portion of the schedule with a winning record.
The Bobcats (4-2-2) wrapped up non-conference play on Frida, with a scoreless draw against Cleveland State. Despite playing two overtimes, Ohio had won in impressive fashion by dominating possession and dictating play leading into the game.
One gauge of how a team fairs offensively is how many corners they are able to attempt, and through eight games, Ohio sits at 67 corners kicks, which is just one kick short of the Bobcats’ total from their 19-game campaign last season.
“I know we’ve created a ton of chances,” Rodgers said. “I’ve just really been focused on what we’ve been able to do this year and it’s neat to know those statistics, but we have been solely focused on this team that we have now and creating all these opportunities.”
During Ohio’s past two games, the Bobcats have only scored one goal out of 36 attempted shots.
“Obviously, the last two games we’ve only scored one goal, but we’ve created a ton of chances in those games,” he said. “Once we figure out how to get that cutting edge in front of goal we’re going to score a lot more goals. Defensively we’re still continuing to work with 11 players and be able to transition from defending to attacking very quickly.”
The positive out of the past few games has been the Bobcat defense, which has limited the opposition’s shots and helped senior goalkeeper Mattie Liston. The solid play at the back has resulted in consecutive shutouts. The backline looks to continue this momentum heading into Mid-American Conference play, as does the rest of team.
After beginning the year with a 0-2-1 start to the season, the Bobcats have since faired 4-0-1, which is similar to last season when the Bobcats entered MAC play with a five-game winning streak.
“Conference play adds a little height and competitiveness to it,” Rodgers said.
“We’ve finished our first part of our season which is our non-conference schedule and now we’re moving into the conference schedule where there’s a little bit more at stake in conference games so the competitiveness will be higher.”
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