Sept. 11, 2005
Final Stats | Photo Gallery
ATHENS, Ohio - Despite taking a 2-0 lead into half time, the Ohio field hockey team surrendered a pair of second-half goals to tie the score, and an Albany tally midway through the first overtime period gave the Great Danes a 3-2 victory over the Bobcats Sunday at Peggy Pruitt Field.
Estienne Coetzee (Bloemfontein, South Africa) scored her team-leading fourth goal to give Ohio a 1-0 lead in the first, and Megan Rentschler (Akron, Pa.) netted the first goal of her career less than 10 minutes later to put the Bobcats (1-4) ahead 2-0. Albany (3-3) scored twice in the second half--the latter with 22 seconds remaining in regulation--to tie the score and Great Dane Arlette Westdorp pushed home the game winner seven minutes into the first overtime period.
"Overall I was happy with the way we played," said Ohio Head Coach Neil Macmillan. "We had the exact game plan to put the game away, we just didn't do it. It's disappointing to have control of the game and come away with a loss."
Midway through overtime, Albany's Tina Bryson found herself on a breakaway in front of the Ohio net. Her shot was successfully contended by Bobcat goaltender Jennifer Cote (Raynham, Mass.), but Bryson's teammate Westdorp scooped up the rebound and found the back of the net exactly seven minutes into the sudden-death phase.
To that point, the Bobcats statistically dominated Albany on the offensive end. Coetzee lit up the scoreboard first just more than 10 minutes into the game to start Ohio's early offensive production. After an Ohio penalty corner--one of nine in the half and 13 in the game--Coetzee picked up a rebound off a missed shot and scored from the right side, putting Ohio on top.
"Estienne's been great for us," Macmillan said. "She knows where the goal is and she has the ability to step up and put it in."
At the 33:48 mark, the Bobcats struck again. This time it was Rentschler's turn, who took a shot from the top of the circle off a penalty corner and slapped it past the Great Dane defense. Seniors Erica Bundalo (Virginia Beach, Va.) and Chelsea Mearig (Lititz, Pa.) were credited with the assists.
At the break, Ohio had outshot Albany 13-1 and limited the Great Danes to zero penalty corners through 35 minutes.
Out of intermission, the Albany offense came alive. At the 42:04 mark, Kasey Weaver took a pass from Westdorp among a crowd of players around the net and pushed it through for Albany's first goal.
Ohio clung to a one-goal edge until the clocked neared zero. With 22 seconds left in regulation, Albany's Michele Polizois took advantage of a penalty-corner opportunity, scoring from the top of the circle and sending the game into overtime.
Both teams had chances in the overtime period, but it was Westdorp who found the net first and ended the contest.
For the game, Ohio outshot Albany 17-3 and won the battle of penalty corners 13-6.
Cote made three saves between the pipes, while Albany's Ashley Ross made seven stops for the win.
Ohio will begin a six-game road trip next weekend at Indiana. The Bobcats and Hoosiers are set to tangle at 1 p.m. Saturday in Bloomington at the John Mellencamp Pavillion.
