Sports
Bobcat Field Hockey Shuts Out Appalachian State
By: Blake Baker
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After a loss in their home opener Friday, Ohio Bobcats field hockey topped Appalachian State in a 4-0 shutout on Sunday, improving to 3-3 on the season.
Ohio’s defense shined against the Mountaineers, only allowing five total shots. Goalie Lina Trucco made two saves in the game, and Megan Silveira had a defensive save late in the second half.
“We played very well in the back,” Coach Neil Macmillan said about his team’s defensive performance. “We did a very solid job of beating them to the ball, and it was overall much, much better than we’ve played in the past.”
Offensively, the ‘Cats were a mainstay in the Mountaineers’ end of the field. The first Ohio goal of the game came at 22:15 in the first as Elena Curley netted her second goal of the season with an assist from Kristen Buchanan and Hannah Kingsbury.
In the second half, Maria Russell scored at 47:40 with an assist from Rachel Kho, and Adele Sammons recorded her first two goals of the season at 68:28 and as time expired at 70:00. Each goal was assisted by Clarissa Leickly.
“Clarissa is really stepping up,” Macmillan said about the senior leader. “Her play in the back is outstanding, and she has great awareness on how to move with the ball. She’s also a great option for us on corners. She had a few nice shots that got saved, but her passes, especially to Adele, were excellent.”
The Bobcat offense was awarded 17 penalty corners throughout the game, and every goal from the Green and White came off a penalty corner opportunity.
“They’re really good opportunities for us. We only converted one out of six today, but a lot of them resulted in another corner. We’re getting something positive out of them, and four goals off of corners is pretty good,” MacMillan said.
The ‘Cats will begin a five-game road stretch when they travel to Columbus to take on Ohio State on Sunday