Sports
Ohio dominated in fourth quarter by James Madison, lose 5-1
By: Darayus Sethna
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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) — Four goals in nine minutes.
That is how the James Madison University Dukes (7-2, 3-0 MAC) held serve on the road against the Ohio Bobcats (4-6, 1-2 MAC) in a 5-1 landslide at Pruitt Field on Friday afternoon.
Ohio Head Coach Ali Johnstone had one word to describe the final quarter in the loss – “disheartening.”
Both the Bobcats and Dukes had reason to believe heading into Friday afternoon’s conference clash at Pruitt Field. The home team came in having snapped its two-game losing streak with a win over Longwood last weekend.
Midfielder Alice Roeper was the shining star for JMU – having notched the National Field Hockey Coaches Association Offensive Player of the Week. She tallied four goals during the week, which included a hattrick.
Friday’s contest marked the first time in sixteen years the teams have squared off.
First Half Frenzy
The first two quarters were intense as both Ohio and JMU controlled possession and created opportunities to score.
Much of the Bobcats’ offense came from runs down the sideline by Noa Desmaretz, Natalie LaFleur and Annie Ryan. It allowed Ohio to control much of the possession in the early stages of the match and finished the first half with three penalty corners.
Maintaining possession allowed the Bobcats’ defense to hold Roeper in check
That lead lasted for just over two minutes when Anouk Plaehn notched her fourth goal of the season with a straight shot off a penalty corner. She became Ohio’s leading scorer and more importantly, tied the game.
It was a goal Ohio Head Coach Ali Johnstone wasn’t expecting at first.
“That actually wasn’t the call,” Johnstone said. “Before she shot it, I was like, ‘oh, that’s in.’ And she just ripped it right to [the] corner.”
But Plaehn’s score would be one of the final things Johnstone and the Bobcats could celebrate for the rest of the afternoon.
JMU Explodes in the Final Frame
Both teams began the third quarter with the same tenacity. The only major difference was that JMU were the ones who came out on the advance – accounting for eight shots alone towards Ohio goalkeeper Macy Lotze.
To the Bobcats avail, however, that was just the beginning.
The Dukes set the tone in the opening moments of the final quarter when graduate student Mia Julian found an opening to retake the lead.
It was a goal that proved to be the backbreaker for Ohio. JMU continued to press on the Bobcats’ back line afterwards. Three minutes after Julian’s score, junior forward Julie Narleski slotted in her first goal of the year to give the visitors a 3-1 advantage.
Just a few minutes after Narleski’s goal, the ball once again found its way in the back of the net.
This time it was Elena Giangaspero who scored for the Dukes. Hill later snuck the ball past Ohio goalkeeper Macy Lotze with only five minutes left.
The competitive, vigorous tone of the first half seemed like ancient history for Ohio, who fell by a final score of 5-1 on its home field.
Johnstone Speaks on the Loss
Johnstone emphasized that it is more than valid for her group to be frustrated with how the game ended.
But she also noted that they still have work to do.
“They’re allowed to be grumpy for, like, an hour,” Johnstone said after the game. “And then they [have] to get it together because we have a huge game on Sunday.”
The long-time coach mentioned how the defense allowed too many situations in the backfield when Anouk Plaehn had to deal with two attackers coming at her.
“There’s a line and a hole that we missed, and they took advantage of [it]. In the moment, we couldn’t protect that line,” Johnstone explained.
Despite the loss, Johnstone credited her team for their performance in the first half – in particular with how well they stuck to the script.
“To be honest, this is the first time the team actually followed the game plan as closely as we’ve asked them to,” Johnstone stated in terms of how the team’s offense pressed JMU early on.
That didn’t take away from the sting the final period still had on the seventh-year coach.
“It worked for the first three quarters. And then [JMU] ripped it apart in the fourth.”
Johnstone and the Bobcats drop to a 4-6 overall record (1-2 in MAC play).
Ohio continues its season against arch-rival Miami (5-6, 2-1 MAC) on Sunday afternoon in Oxford. Johnstone and her squad then pack their bags for Louisville to face Bellarmine (3-7, 1-2 MAC) on Oct. 11.