Sports
Three wins, three shutouts as Ohio blanks Marshall 2-0
By: Stephen Koroly
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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) — After a dominant showing in their last game versus Valparaiso, the Ohio Bobcats won their second straight game beating Marshall by a score of 2-0.
The first half of this match kicked off with both teams having little to no chances.
Midfield play was very strong from both teams as Ohio’s midfield held the ball a frequent amount and the Marshall midfield did a great job of diminishing chances.
Ohio attempted to press and takeaway the ball deep in Marshall’s own territory, but the Thundering Herd did a great job of weathering the storm when the Bobcats pressed.
But Ohio held a ton of possession in the first half and a goal was bound to occur.
Lilly O’Rourke broke the scoring drought for both teams when she sent a high and looping ball off her right foot into the top-right portion of the net. This is O’Rourke’s first goal as a Bobcat after most recently playing for DePaul University.
A phenomenal goal that got Bobcat fans out of their seats with three minutes remaining in the first half, 1-0 Ohio.
The last three minutes of the half ticked off the clock and the Bobcats went into the break up 1-0.
For Marshall to win this game, they needed to hold more possession in Ohio’s side of the field.
The opposite happened for the Thundering Herd in the second half.
Ohio and head coach Aaron Rogers took the pressure to another level. Multiple players deep in Marshall’s own territory. This led to mistakes and turnovers for Marshall.
Jaimason Brooker, Iro Fakinou, Scout Murray and Eve Berish put immense pressure of the defense.
It was all worth it in the end as Eve Berish bagged her second career goal in the middle of the second half. The Bobcats pressured around the box and Eve Berish intercepted a pass at the top of the box and finished calmly into the middle of the net, 2-0 Bobcats.
The Bobcats from this point coasted to a 2-0 win. While there was a couple more chances for Marshall, nothing stood out. The backline of Ohio which featured Nora Roush, Maia Kaufman and Maia Soulis were outstanding as they limited chances all day long.
Celeste Sloma followed her MAC Defensive Player of the Week performance last week with a very solid outing today, keeping her third clean sheet of the season, while adding five saves as well.
“We defend so well. Our back three, our goalkeeping, those are the true defenders, but we defend with everybody. Our wingbacks defend so well, our midfielders defend so well, and that’s a part of our game, part of our identity is that we want to attack with everybody but we also want to defend with everybody. It starts from the front, all the way to the back,” Rodgers said.
The Bobcats look to extend their winning streak to three on Sep. 12, as they travel to Bowling Green, Kentucky to take on the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers.