Sept. 18, 2009
Box Score
ATHENS, Ohio - Erin Schwenke's second goal of the season could not have come at a better time for Ohio soccer as the freshman's game winner early in the 84th minute gave the Bobcats a 2-1 victory over Morehead State Friday at Chessa Field.
"Our forwards were more consistent today," Ohio coach Stacy Strauss said. "Over 50 percent of our shots were on goal. The second half we were able to keep them under pressure and outwork them. Our depth was key the last 10 to 15 minutes. We were able to wear them out, and we got in behind them."
Coming off a hard-fought contest against Marshall its last time out, Ohio (2-4-0) came out strong early on and controlled the possession. Early shots from Schwenke (Solon, Ohio) and Kelsey Pichel (Rochester Hills, Mich.) put the Eagles' defense on their heels early. Morehead State (3-5-1) came back in a strong way and netted the first score of the contest early in the 6th minute. Jillian Birchmeier got behind Ohio's midfield and launched a rope from 22 yards out that sailed into the top right corner of the net.
The Eagles kept up their attack over the next several minutes, but the `Cats defense held strong and kept them off the board. Ohio came back and controlled most of the possession late in the first half and had a few promising opportunities to get on the board, but Morehead State's defense and a pair of nice stops from the Eagle goalkeeper managed to thwart any Green and White hopes. Morehead State held a slim 9-8 edge on shots and kept its 1-0 lead going into the break.
Ohio came out strong to start the second half and put pressure on the Eagles. The pressure paid off late in the 48th minute when the `Cats drew a foul inside the Eagle box. Senior Amy Lower (West Chester, Ohio) capitalized and fired a shot past the Morehead State keeper and into the right corner of the goal to even the count at 1-1.
The Bobcat stepped up its play even more and limited the Eagles to very few scoring opportunities throughout the rest of the half. The Eagles nearly put a second goal on the board late in the 68th minute, but Alyssa Mor Nacke's attempt sailed just barely wide of the net. Ohio put the pressure back on Morehead State over the next several minutes. Jasmine Merith (Richmond Hill, Ontario) got free deep in Eagle territory in the 84th minute, and with a pair of Morehead defenders coming at her, sent a nice touch pass over to Schwenke, who knocked it into the right corner of the net from 12 yards out. Ohio's defense held on and kept the Eagles away from the goal over the last few minutes of play to seal the `Cat win.
Ohio outshot Morehead 16-13 in the contest, with nine shots coming on goal. Pichel led the way with five shots on the day, including three on goal. Schwenke tallied four shots of her own and put two on goal to go with her second goal of the season. Lower recorded three shots, and Merith's assist was her first of the year. Jess MacLean (Loveland, Ohio) recorded five saves in goal.
The `Cats will look to complete the weekend in winning fashion when they welcome IPFW to town Sunday afternoon. First touch is set for 3 p.m. ET.
