Sports
Led by Murray, Ohio dominates Valparaiso, 5-0, to win home opener
By: Marc Goldstein
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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) — The Bobcats made their return to Chessa Field for the first time since capturing its first MAC title last fall. On a hot afternoon in Athens against Valparaiso, the Bobcats looked like a well-oiled machine, dominating possession and turning the game into an opportunity to flex their muscles. The final score of 5-0 did not tell the full story of domination.
In just the first minute of play, Ohio was putting pressure on the net for Valparaiso, getting a corner kick almost immediately. While that effort ultimately did not lead to any scoring, Ohio’s ability to get the ball deep into the opposition’s territory became a theme for the rest of the first half.
With the match being dominated in possession by Ohio, it became almost a foregone conclusion that the efforts would eventually lead to a goal. Jaimason Brooker found her way behind the defense, but her crosser was off the mark.
However, that ability to create breakaway chances would not end there.
A few minutes later, Ella Deevers was able to similarly find her way through the defense of Valparaiso. This time, Deevers made sure to deposit her shot into the back of the net with a strong, low right-footed strike that made its way to the bottom left corner of the goal.
Ohio continued to hammer away at the goal, though.
Brooker would go right back to the well that served her well before, sprinting down the right side of the field and notching a crosser in perfect position to Murray, who did the rest, scoring her second goal of the season.
The 2-0 lead did not discourage the Bobcats from pressing up on the Beacons. The Bobcats accumulated four corner kicks in the first half, compared to none from the Beacons. The strategy of putting a lot of pressure on the defense was something coach Aaron Rodgers put a lot of emphasis on when drawing up his game plan.
“We had to get around the edges,” Rodgers said. “They played a really low 4-4-2, and all their numbers were in the middle of the field. We would try to play entry balls from our backs into our midfielders and they would get repelled… so we wanted to adapt to that. We pushed our midfielders a little higher, our forwards a little wider and our wing backs wider to get around the edges.”
After halftime, it would have been reasonable to assume that Ohio might take its foot off the gas pedal in order to conserve energy and prevent injury. However, there was no stopping Ohio.
Murray scored shortly after the break to give her a second goal on the day and extend the Ohio lead to three. With the crowd at Chessa Field beginning to feel the effects of the sweltering heat, Murray continued to put immense pressure on the Valparaiso net.
Another 14 minutes later, Murray and Brooker teamed up yet again, this time on more of a set piece to complete the hat trick for Murray and make it a 4-0 game.
“(Jaimason) Brooker and I really know where the other one is going to be running. A lot of times, she will play first as I am running back… I think we do that a lot in practice and build our connection.”
Potentially lost in the shuffle, Celeste Sloma notched yet another clean sheet, her second of the season. Despite not seeing much action, Sloma was able to direct traffic from behind and keep Valparaiso from making any comeback bids.
“Our defense has been playing unreal,” Sloma said. “It’s definitely not just me, all four of them who play in the back (are great). They make such an impact on the game and I am so grateful to have such a good backline to make my life a lot easier.”
A final goal in the closing seconds from freshman Lillian Weller was the icing on the cake. After Ohio easily dispatched Valparaiso, a team that also participated in the NCAA Tournament last season, it will look to build on this dominating performance as conference play begins to draw near.