Aug. 31, 2008

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ATHENS, Ohio -

The No. 20 Ohio Bobcats (1-1) dropped a tough match to the seventh-ranked James Madison Dukes (2-0) Sunday afternoon, falling 1-0 in the Ohio Invitational Tournament finale. The Bobcat defense held strong throughout the game, keeping Ohio within striking distance, but the ‘Cats couldn’t sneak one past the stingy JMU defense and lost their first match of 2008.

“I think we take a lot of positives from the game,” Ohio head coach Neil Macmillan said “I know when you look at the statistics we were outshot quite a bit, but other than creating opportunities in our attacking zone, we really did a good job of playing with them. I think at the end of the day, we were very well organized. I’ve been very happy with all the stuff we’ve been doing over preseason.”

The lone goal came just under 15 minutes into the first half, as the Dukes’ Meghan Bain redirected a bouncing ball into the net on an assist from Randi Segear. Both teams had chances to add to the score as the game progressed, but neither could finish on their opportunities.

“I thought today was the best I’ve seen the defense play,” said senior Jessie Martin (Louisville, Ky.), Ohio’s captain and goalie. “I think we really came together and worked well with each other. We made sure we marked all their players. Even the goal they scored, there’s not much you can do about tips, so I’m just really proud of the defense today.”

James Madison outshot Ohio 13-2 and also held the advantage in penalty corners 6-1. Senior Estienne Coetzee (Bloemfontein, S.A.) and sophomore Louzeth Schutte (Senekal, S.A.) registered the Bobcats’ shots, both of which were on goal. Lauren Walls led the Dukes with seven shots, including five on goal.

“The offense will come. We’re young and it’s early in the season,” Martin said. “I’m not worried about the offense. I’m glad the defense worked well and in the next game we’ll just have to pick it up a little bit.”

Along with Ohio’s tough defense, Martin was solid in goal for the ‘Cats, making six saves, while Martin’s counterpart, Kelsey Cutchins, stopped both Ohio shots for James Madison.

“Jessie played extremely well in goal. Nikki (Gnozzio) and Louzeth (Schutte) played really well in the back,” Macmillan said. “Our defense as a unit, when James Madison was trying to work the ball, was great as well. A lot of positives today, despite the result.”

In the first match Sunday, St. Louis defeated Georgetown 4-0.

The Bobcats return to action Wednesday, Sept. 3, as they’ll host in-state rival Ohio State at Pruitt Field. Faceoff is set for 7 p.m. ET.

TOURNAMENT RECAP

Saturday, Aug. 30
OHIO 3, Georgetown 2
James Madison 6, St. Louis 1

Sunday, Aug. 31
St. Louis 4, Georgetown 0
James Madison 1, OHIO 0