Sports
Ohio Soccer gets first win in over a month over Northern Illinois
By: Evan Johnson
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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) – Ohio Soccer (4-8-5, 2-4-4 MAC) was in desperate need of a win. With only three games left, the Bobcats had to win out to give themselves a chance to be one of the top six teams that make the MAC tournament. With two early goals, the Bobcats were able to control the game and defeat Northern Illinois (4-8-3, 2-5-2 MAC) 3-0.
Ohio has been in a winless drought, with their last victory coming against Central Michigan on Sep. 14. The Bobcats have been knocking on the door all season long. The offense has kept creating opportunities to score, but has not been able to capitalize; however, they were able to flip the script Sunday.
It was a rainy day at Chessa Field, but that did not slow down Ohio. Just nine minutes into the match, Jaimason Brooker netted her first goal of the season to give her team an early 1-0 lead.
The offense did not stop there; the Bobcats dominated possession, never letting the Huskies respond. In the 23rd minute, Ohio expanded their lead even more with a goal from Quintin Tostevin.
“Our big motivation is just playing for each other; we are such a tight-knit team. Everything we do is for each other, and we love each other so much,” Tostevin said.
The score marked the first time the Bobcats have scored multiple goals in a game since beating Oakland 3-0 on Aug 28.
The Bobcats kept their foot on the gas the entire game. Northern Illinois’ goalkeeper, Lauren Pearson, had several saves to keep the game at 2-0.
Everything was clicking for Ohio, holding the Huskies to just two shots in the second period. Bobcats’ goalkeeper, Celeste Sloma, had a quiet game with just one save because the defense never allowed Northern Illinois to get close to the goal.
Quintin Tostevin knocked in her second goal of the game and her fourth of the season off a corner kick by Jaimason Brooker with ten minutes left.
The Huskies had no response in the final minutes, and the Bobcats were able to get their first win in over a month, with a final score of 3-0.
“This has been the most comprehensive performance that we’ve had. You know it’s something that’s very encouraging, and we know for the last two games that we have to just build on this and try to recreate this and get to two wins,” head coach Aaron Rodgers said.
Ohio still does not control their own destiny to make the MAC tournament, but they will have to win next Thursday when they play Miami in the Battle of the Bricks.
Northern Illinois will have a week to regroup, and then they will face Eastern Michigan on Oct 26.