Sept. 24, 2006
Box Score
YPSILANTI, Mich. - Freshmen Amy Lower (Hamilton, Ohio) and Halle Plagens (Bay Village, Ohio) each scored second-half goals as the Ohio soccer team defeated Eastern Michigan 2-1 Sunday afternoon to start the conference season 2-0.
"I thought again that we had an edge physically," Head Coach Stacy Strauss said. "I thought we battled hard and at times during the game we moved the ball around well."
Ohio (4-5-0, 2-0-0) starts its Mid-American Conference schedule with two consecutive wins for the first time since the 2002 season. The Bobcats had been 0-4-0 on the road this season prior to Friday's win over Central Michigan but have now recorded two straight road wins. Sunday's win also marked the first time this season Ohio has won back-to-back contests and the second time in school history the team has defeated Eastern Michigan (4-3-2, 1-1-0) on the road.
"We changed a little bit after Colorado as how we were playing," Strauss said. "I've put more emphasis on the play of our midfielders and they were the big difference today."
After a scoreless first half, Lower put the Bobcats on the board with her second goal of the season. Lower took a pass from sophomore Erika Schmitt (Wyoming, Ohio) on a free kick and headed it past the Eagle keeper to give Ohio a 1-0 lead. Schmitt earned her second assist of the season, the first coming on Friday. Lower's goal came in the 59th minute of the match.
"(Lower) has played very well," Strauss said. "She's a real talented player and she's becoming much tougher."
Plagens gave the Bobcats a 2-0 cushion in the 83rd minute with her first collegiate goal. Lower fed a pass to Plagens on the right side and Plagens found the back of the net for Ohio's second unanswered goal. The Eagles got on the board in the 87th minute but the Bobcat defense held on for the 2-1 victory.
Freshmen Dominique Wright (Durango, Colo.) and Jess MacLean (Loveland, Ohio) each played one half in goal for Ohio. Wright made one save in a scoreless first half while MacLean allowed one goal and made one save in the second half.
"The keepers were fine," Strauss said. "With each game they gain confidence. I thought it was one of the best halves we've had from (Wright)."
The Bobcats finished with an 11-7 advantage in total shots, including a 7-3 edge in shots on goal. Ohio did not record a corner kick in the win.
The win against Eastern Michigan finished a four-game road trip for the Bobcats. Ohio now heads home for four consecutive MAC home games, beginning Friday with a match up against Northern Illinois. The game is set to begin at 4:00 p.m. at Chessa Field.
