Sports
Ohio Field Hockey to Play Central Michigan and Rutgers
By: Milan Lavender
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Ohio field hockey feasted on the Cardinals on Saturday after defeating Ball State in a 4-2 victory in Muncie, Indiana. The Bobcats left triumphant after winning their Mid-American Conference opener and hope to claim another conference victory over the Central Michigan Chippewas on Friday, and a non-conference win against Rutgers on Sunday.
Ohio brought its record to 4-4 after the win against Ball State and maintained its second place rank in the MAC behind 6-5 Miami.
Bobcat coach Neil Macmillan has previously stated that conference wins and losses mean little, yet one cannot disregard the likelihood Ohio has in winning this Friday’s game against the 0-8 Chippewas.
Despite the record, Chippewa senior Kaysie Gregory leads her team in total goals at six, just two goals behind Ohio leader Maria Russell who has eight. CMU’s Kianne Hinkle also has a notable record for assists, trailing Ohio senior Adele Sammons by two as well.
Defensively, Central Michigan outnumbers Ohio’s saves by period by a substantial 20 saves. However, Macmillan believes that records and statistics prove nothing in comparison to the competitive edge and determination the players possess. The game will be “highly competitive” Macmillan stated.
The Bobcats will face off against the Chippewas at 3 p.m. on Friday.
The ‘Cats will take a break from MAC play on Sunday and travel to East Lansing, Michigan, to compete against Rutgers. Victory may be more difficultly found when facing the Scarlet Knights.
The Big Ten Conference team will walk onto the field with a 5-4 season under its belts.
Rutgers’ key players will undoubtedly test the Bobcats both offensively and defensively as each player continues to perform better each game. Scarlet Knight senior Nicole Imbriaco has had an impressive season for Rutgers by doubling her career highs in both goals and points.
The Scarlet Knights will face off against ‘Cats pivotal players like Sammons, Clarissa Leickley, and Russell to make for a perfectly even-edged competition amongst the women. Both teams are inarguably talented, determined, passionate, and competitive and will battle whole-heartedly to claim victory at the end of the 70-minute game.
The game is set to begin at 2:30 p.m.