Oct. 26, 2007
Box Score
MT. PLEASANT, Mich. - With a bye in the first round of the conference tournament already clinched, the No. 15 Ohio field hockey team closed out the regular season with a 3-0 shutout win over Central Michigan Friday afternoon.
Lauren Stahlhuth (St. Louis, Mo.) and Nikki Gnozzio (Flanders, N.J.) scored for the first time this season and Marcy Dull (Ephrata, Pa.) scored for the ninth time as the Bobcats recorded their seventh shutout of the year.
"We played a very good solid game today," said Head Coach Neil Macmillan. "Our overall team defense was excellent and we only gave up two shots the whole game. Our finishing was also good as we were able to score off two of our corners. It was just a really good game of hockey."
Stahlhuth got her goal on an assist from Torrie Albini (Escondido, Calif.). She deflected it past Central Michigan's goalie and into the cage off an Ohio penalty corner for a 1-0 Ohio lead 13 minutes into the game.
Both offenses were silent for the remainder of the first half. Ohio took three shots and earned one penalty corner in the half, while Central Michigan managed one shot and three penalty corners.
Out of the break, Dull took a sharp angled shot left of the goal at the 44:10 mark, pushing it into the net. The goal was unassisted and the Bobcats led 2-0.
At the 60:29 mark, it was Gnozzio that scored as the Bobcats again took advantage of another penalty corner. With assists credited to Albini and Rachelle Coetzee (Bloemfontein, South Africa), Gnozzio pushed it in for the shutout victory.
For the game, Ohio took 11 shots--eight on goal--and was awarded four penalty corners. Goalie Jessie Martin (Louisville, Ky.) made a single save between the pipes.
One of Central Michigan's two shots was on goal, and the Chippewas managed four penalty corners. Goalie Louise Gericke made five saves.
With the win, Ohio improves to 15-4 on the season and closes out the MAC season with a conference-leading 9-1 record. The Chippewas fall to 5-12, 4-5 MAC and have one game remaining on their schedule.
Ohio's 15 wins is the third most wins in program history and the `Cats nine conference wins is the most since the 2001 championship season.
Next week, the Bobcats will suit up for the 2007 MAC Field Hockey Tournament in Oxford,Ohio on Nov. 1-3. After winning the MAC's regular-season championship, the Bobcats earned a first-round bye and will play in game three on Nov. 2 at 12 p.m. The MAC's tournament website is www.muredhawks.com.
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Quenjana Adams is the field hockey contact in the Ohio media relations office. She can be reached via email at adamsq@ohio.edu and in the office at 740-593-1299.
