Sports

Ohio Field Hockey upsets No. 11 UMass in home opener

By: Marc Goldstein
Posted on: Saturday, September 27, 2025

< < Back to

ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) — For a truly historic upset to occur, everything needs to go right. That was the case for Ohio (2-7, 1-1 MAC) as it looked to get a program-altering victory over a top-flight team in the conference. Playing at home for the first time all season, Ohio was able to stifle the offensive attack for No. 11 UMass (8-0, 1-1 MAC) en route to a 1-0 victory. The win marks the first top-25 win for Ohio since October 3, 2012, when it took down No. 15 Wake Forest in double overtime. Now, the team can proudly say that it no longer has a drought since its last major upset. 

In order for the Bobcats to win, the Minutewomen offensive attack would have to be neutralized. Coming into the match, the Bobcats averaged 1.3 goals while the Minutewomen averaged nearly three. The defensive intensity for the Bobcats was evident from the start as an early shot by Emily Barrett was kicked away by the Bobcat goalkeeper, Ash Stevenson. 

The first penalty corner of the match went to Ohio, although Anouk Plaehn was unable to cash it in, sending a shot errant of the net. UMass would return the favor of a first-quarter penalty corner, but it also missed the shot as Stevenson made her first save of the afternoon. The first quarter included a lot of passing in the backfield for UMass, who controlled a lot of the possession during the action. That did not necessarily mean that it was driving deep into Ohio’s circle, but rather trying to set something up that never came to pass. 

The second quarter was more of the same to start. The defensive battle continued until UMass got a penalty corner just under five minutes into the quarter. The attempt at the net went wide, but UMass earned another penalty corner. The next attempt was blocked. Another corner was awarded to UMass. This process was repeated until UMass had accumulated five penalty corners in a row with none of them resulting in as much as a shot on goal, the last four attempts were all blocked by the Ohio defense. 

The Bobcats would make a small push to the Minutewomen’s net, but nothing terribly threatening for Mytre van Herwijnen, one of the best goalkeepers in the country. At halftime, the teams were deadlocked with no score. 

The third quarter was more of the same from the first half. The only shot during the 15 minutes of play came from Barrett, which Stevenson made a relatively easy save to preserve the scoreless tie. 

Despite the big-time stops on defense, Ohio was not doing much of anything on offense. The gameplan was simple: stop UMass from scoring and take advantage of any opportunities that came to pass. Then, 3:31 into the fourth quarter, a golden opportunity landed in Ohio’s lap as a penalty corner was awarded to the home team. On a somewhat broken play, Plaehn rocketed one toward van Herwijnen and the ball found a home in the back of the goal, giving Ohio a 1-0 lead with 11:29 remaining. The goal was the second of the season for Plaehn, but none bigger than the one scored on Friday afternoon. Plaehn’s coach described the big play that gave Ohio the lead in the fourth. 

“(Plaehn) had a little bit of a bobble, but her vision is incredible so she pulled it right in,” Ohio head coach Ali Johnstone said. “She could hit that shot with her eyes closed, but she found a little hole and tucked it in.” 

UMass would not really threaten Stevenson very much from that point. Two more shots were sent toward the net for UMass, but only one required Stevenson to make a save. The defensive effort held strong for Ohio as its ability to cut off the middle of the field and passing lanes worked to perfection. 

“We changed our press from the other games we played,” Johnstone said. “We have really good aerials… so we changed the press to try to minimize the chances they could have and get through… There has been such a commitment to communication and footwork because (UMass) moves so much and we had to be diligent and communicate our switches. It came down to the details of protecting our feet and not giving up corners.” 

As the seconds ticked off the clock and the moment set in for the Bobcats, the celebration commenced. The team mobbed Stevenson as it pulled off the stunning upset. For a squad looking for a boost as conference play gets going, this is as good as any. 

“This win means a lot,” Plaehn said. “We definitely had a rough start to our season, but we obviously know how high our potential is and showing that off today means a lot to us.” 

The jubilation experienced by the Ohio players and staff is so unique because almost no one present was around for the most recent top-25 win. The team that has felt so close so many times in the past finally was able to complete a massive upset. The win was not only the first victory over a ranked opponent in over a decade, but also the highest-ranked opponent Ohio defeated since 2007 when it beat No. 4 Duke. The excitement that comes with making history is something that Johnstone cannot overstate. 

“I don’t even know if there is an English word for how excited we are,” Johnstone said. “We’ve had a tough start to the season. We keep saying that our team is so good and we have so much potential. To come away with a win against UMass, who is an incredible team and incredibly coached.” 

Sports teach people that they should expect the unexpected. In a match between two teams, seemingly on opposite trajectories and paths that was exactly the case. Outside of the circle of Ohio players, staff and supporters, there might not have been many others that anticipated this result. However, Ohio proved just how important it is to believe it can pull off the impossible as evidenced by its massive victory.