Sports
Ohio Soccer Falls to Wright State 1-0
By: Tyler Rosten
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The Ohio Women’s Soccer team (0-1, 0-0) lost a close contest, 1-0, against Wright State (1-0, 0-0) in the first game of the 2012-13 regular season. The same problem that plagued the Bobcats last season once again reared its ugly head: giving up a late goal and letting the lead or tie slip away.
The Bobcats played an almost flawless first half. They put on a defensive clinic, were organized from front to back and had a lot of possession to start the run of play. Starting center back true freshman Grace Campbell put in a stellar first half shift, and despite the Ohio giving up eight shots in the half, only two put junior goalkeeper Mattie Liston under pressure.
The Bobcats created six chances of their own but only managed two on target. Ohio also claimed the most corner kicks leading 2-1 at the half. The best of the shots taken came from midfielder Veronica Rock who fired a shot high over the cross bar off one of those corner kicks.
In the second half Ohio came out with the same composure they showed in the first half. Patience was key for the ‘Cats working the ball from the back to the front and holding their defensive shape. Senior forward Erin Schwenke blasted a 12 yard volley just over the cross bar at the 55th minute of play and momentum was on Ohio’s side.
Then slowly but surely Wright State began to link some passes together and gain possession. Eventually the Raiders began to dominate play, almost scoring off a corner kick before Liston made a great diving save in the 67th minute.
A miscommunication at the back for Wright State almost allowed Ohio to score and take the lead but a Raider defender made a goal line with Wright State’s goalkeeper Brooke McCurdy off her line. With only three minutes left in the game a draw seemed a fair decision for both teams, but Wright State was able to score against the run of play.
The ball bounced into the corner of Ohio’s defensive area and after some quick one touch passing Wright State’s Emille Fillion scored on a solid volley from about eight yards away. The Bobcats were unable to recover with so little time left and dropped their first game of the regular season. Ohio returns to action this Sunday, August 19, as they travel to Bloomington, Indiana to face the Hoosiers in an out-of-conference matchup