Oct. 29, 2005
Final Stats
Mount Pleasant, Mich. - With a bye in the first round of the conference tournament already clinched, the Ohio field hockey team was tripped up Saturday by Central Michigan, 3-2, in the Mid-American Conference finale at the CMU Field Hockey Complex.
Torrie Albini (Escondido, Calif.) scored both of Ohio's goals, upping her league-leading total to 13 on the season. A successful penalty shot by Chippewa back Laura Glaza in the second half, however, broke a 2-2 tie and lifted Central Michigan (8-11, 5-5 MAC) to the victory.
"We played okay today, but we were just a little inconsistent," said Ohio Head Coach Neil Macmillan. "We played nicely at times, but for the full 70 minutes we weren't able to stick to our game plan and execute how we needed to."
Despite the defeat, Ohio (8-10, 6-4 MAC) finishes in sole possession of second place in the final MAC standings behind regular season champ Kent State. The Bobcats will earn a first-round bye in next weekend's conference tournament, advancing to the semifinals on Friday versus a yet-to-be-determined opponent.
Albini opened the scoring early in the first frame. Less than five minutes into the half, the sophomore got her stick on an Amanda Arnold (Oceanport, N.J.) shot and deflected it past Central Michigan's Danielle Frank and into the cage off an Ohio penalty corner. Arnold was credited with the assist, her fourth of the season, and the Bobcats led 1-0.
Less than 10 minutes later, the Chippewas fired back and tied the score. Off an Erica Takach shot, Alisa Folk deflected the ball past Ohio's Jennifer Cote (Raynham, Mass.) at the 14:11 mark and evened the score.
Both offenses were silent for the remainder of the half. Ohio took five shots and earned three penalty corners in the first half. Central Michigan managed three shots and four penalty corners.
Out of the break, Central Michigan took its first lead of the game. Alicia Balanesi took a shot from close range at the 49:39 mark, pushing it past the Ohio defense and into the net. The goal was unassisted, and the Chippewas led 2-1.
The see-saw battle continued nearly four minutes later. It was more Albini and this time the Bobcats again took advantage of one of their 12 penalty corners. With assists credited to Nikki Gnozzio (Flanders, N.J.) and Taylor Edwards (Chatham, N.J.), Albini pushed it past Frank and the Chippewa defense for her 13th goal of the season. With that, the game was knotted at 2-2 with 16:30 remaining in the game.
"We did a good job with two of our corners, executed them very well," Macmillan said. "Torrie's been in the right place at the right time a lot this season. She knows how to find the back of the net and that's valuable to have on any team."
It didn't take long, though, for the Chippewas to tap in the game winner. Less than three minutes after Albini tied it, Glaza put her team on top for good. She was awarded a penalty shot at the 55:57 mark and the senior responded, hitting the back of the net and giving the Chippewas a 3-2 edge.
For the game, Ohio took 11 shots--eight on goal--and was awarded 12 penalty corners. Cote made four saves between the pipes.
Seven of Central Michigan's eight shots were on goal, and the Chippewas managed 12 penalty corners. Frank made six saves in goal.
With at least two games remaining on the schedule, Albini's 13 goals tie her for eighth all-time in school history for goals in a season. She's two points shy of tying for 11th all-time in single-season points. Albini has scored four goals in the last three games. Saturday marked her fourth multi-goal game of the 2005 season.
The Bobcats finish the MAC slate with six wins, its highest total since going 9-1 in 2001. Ohio will have one final tune-up before the MAC Tournament begins in Mt. Pleasant next week. The Bobcats will meet No. 15 Michigan State Sunday, the fifth ranked opponent on the schedule.
"They're definitely a very good team," Macmillan said. "We'll be going in as the underdog, but it's fun to step out of the conference and play with no pressure. Hopefully this game we'll get us ready for the tournament."
The Bobcats and Spartans will tangle at 2 p.m. Sunday at the MSU Field Hockey Complex.
