The Bobcats have enjoyed the comforts of home lately, not leaving the state of Ohio since traveling to North Carolina to play Wake Forest on Oct 3. They will have to readjust to the road as the team ventures to Michigan on Friday.
The field hockey team travels to Central Michigan to take on the Chippewas (6-8, 2-1 Mid-American Conference) who the Bobcats are tied with, along with Kent State and Miami, atop the MAC standings.
With only two regular season games remaining, Ohio is just as worried about finishing the season strong as it is with qualifying for the conference tournament, Ohio coach Neil Macmillan said. The tournament now only accepts the top four teams and the Bobcats have yet to clinch a spot.
“We have to take care of this game and not worry about anything else right now,” Macmillan said. “If we finish strong, we’re in the tournament and don’t have to worry about anyone else’s results.”
Ohio faces a formidable challenge traveling up to Mt. Pleasant, Mich. to take on the Chippewas who defeated then No. 22 Maine 1-0 and lost by only one goal to No. 14 Stanford in a 3-2 contest earlier in the season. With those credentials, Macmillan is wary of his MAC opponent, especially on the road.
“They look fast and athletic on film,” Macmillan said. “We know they have a bit of an advantage playing on their field as well, and also we know it can get cold up there, so weather conditions can play into it. We have a lot to deal with.”
Senior Taylor Brown, who scored four goals in Ohio’s previous MAC game against Missouri State, said that while Central Michigan is one of the better teams in the conference, the team has an idea of what’s ahead of it.
“I think heading into the weekend, we know what we have in front of us against Central,” Brown said. “We understand it’s going to be a tough game because everyone is still fighting to get into the MAC tournament, and we want the best seeding we can get.”
The Bobcats have had a recent history of success against the Chippewas, winning five of the past six meetings between the squads and holding Central scoreless in the two meetings between the teams last season. But Macmillan doesn’t pay any attention to past results; his team is focused on the task at hand.
“They’re one of the four teams tied at the top of the MAC right now,” he said. “It’s going to be competitive and everything is to play for in these last two weekends … If you’re successful and win the last two games, you’re going to win the conference, so we want to make sure we’re the team that does that.”
ch203310@ohiou.edu
UP NEXT
OHIO v. Central Michigan
2 p.m. Friday
Field Hockey Complex
— Ohio defeated Central Michigan in both of the team’s games last season.
— The Bobcats lead the all-time series 37-23.
— The Chippewas have been outscored by opponents 36-28 this season.
