Sports
Soccer: Ohio Beats Detroit For Second Straight Win
By: Kellen Becoats
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Ohio soccer got the second win in of its three-game home stand as it dropped the University of Detroit 3-1 on Friday.
“Just winning is great,” sophomore Alexis Milesky said. “We’ve had two home wins so far, and one we could have had. It’s just great.”
The Bobcats (3-3-0) went down early in the game, but they looked the more dominant team in the early stages. But, after grabbing an equalizer in the 38th minute, it took them until the 71st minute to finally pull ahead of their opponents.
The sequence started with a turnover in the Titans’ (1-4-1) half, as freshman Allie Curry was able to steal it from one of Detroit’s defensive players. Curry then passed the ball to freshman Hannah Jaggers, who put in an inch-perfect cross to the feet of Milesky who dispatched it into the top of the net to put Ohio ahead 2-1.
“We’re coming together, finally,” Milesky said. “This process has been kind of long, and it’s just great to finally get some results from the all the hard work we’ve done.”
The goal brought Milesky’s season total up to three this season, which is one less than she scored in the entirety of the 2013 season.
And the Bobcats didn’t stop there, with Jaggers adding an insurance goal in the 84th minute to really showcase Ohio’s offensive proficiency and resiliency in tough games.
“Winning is never easy,” Ohio coach Aaron Rodgers said. “I don’t schedule games to get an easy win.”
And it didn’t appear easy for the Bobcats to break down the Titans’ defense down early on. But the introduction of freshman Kelly Zebrowski changed Ohio’s attacking makeup.
After her introduction early on in the first half, the Bobcats immediately looked the more dangerous team, even after Detroit’s goal. And the Titans felt her influence in the 38th minute, as she chipped it past the Titans’ goalkeeper and allowed Alli Cislo to slot it home for the equalizing goal.
“If you give up a goal, the game is not over,” Rodgers said. “We put her in pretty early and obviously started her in the second half knowing that we could take advantage of the space in behind them (the Titans’ back line).”
Ohio now must focus on its game against the University of Dayton on Friday, Sept. 19. The game will be a tough test for the Bobcats, as the Flyers have played strong competition so far this season and are doing decently well.
After going 14-5-2 last season, the Flyers could prove to be one of the toughest, non-conference tests this season. The game kicks off at 7:30 p.m.