Sept. 7, 2008

Box Score

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - Playing on the road for the past three weekends, including two exhibitions, finally caught up to Ohio soccer (1-3) as it fell, 2-0, to Northeastern (2-1) Sunday afternoon to wrap up the Regina Moench Memorial Tournament.

"We struggled," Ohio coach Stacy Strauss said. "We were depleted some by injuries to some key people. We put forth a good effort, but at the end we didn't have the communication we needed to pull it out."

After battling a strong Minnesota team tough in the second half Friday and playing with a somewhat depleted roster due to minor injuries, Ohio came out strong and kept the Huskies' defense on their toes, firing off six shots in the first half. Erica Dietz and Jasmine Merith each registered good shots on goal, but they were unable to get either one into the back of the net.

Northeastern responded by drawing the first blow in the contest in the 14th minute. Liza Rebello took a pass from teammate Veronica Napoli and managed to sneak a shot just past Ohio goalkeeper Christa Puccio into the back of the net to give the Huskies a 1-0 lead. Both squads battled back and forth through the remainder of the first half, but neither was able to get any shots in between the pipes.

The Huskies took advantage of the shorthanded Bobcats again about 20 minutes into the second half by sneaking another shot into the back of the net. Ohio continued to fight valiantly by keeping Northeastern away from the goal and putting up several shots. It simply was not to be, however, as none managed to find their way into the net, and the Huskies came away with the win.

"It has been a tough road trip," Strauss said. "We are looking forward to getting back home, taking care of what we need to and getting people healthy and ready to play."

The Bobcats will return to Athens to start classes and prepare for their home opener Friday night when they take on Cleveland State. Starting time is scheduled for 4 p.m. at Chessa Field.