Oct. 15, 2010
Final Stats
MUNCIE, Ind. - Taylor Brown scored two goals and added an assist as Ohio won their 11th straight against Ball State this afternoon in Muncie, Ind., 3-1. Brown's five points give her 27 for the season and she sits third overall in the league.
"I feel like that's my biggest job on the team. It's my goal to get the ball in the net any way possible," Brown said. "Score, assist, just convert around the cage."
The 'Cats (9-7, 5-1) moved 1/2 game ahead of Miami for the top spot in the conference with the two teams slated to play on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. in Oxford. The RedHawks host Kent State tomorrow afternoon prior to their matchup with Ohio.
"The overall effort was fantastic," Head Coach Neil Macmillan said. "We were very aggressive up front and our defense got sorted out in the second half. We had a 10-15 minute period where it was frantic but we got through it. It was great to have extended pressure on them in their defensive zone and it would have been nice to get more goals on the board, but a win is a win."
Ball State had the first shot of the game which seemed to awaken the Bobcat attack. After two charges into the Cardinal area, Ohio went ahead 1-0 on a goal by Jessica Jue in the 11th minute. The freshman's fourth goal of the season was set up by Brown and slid under the foot of the BSU goalkeeper.
The Cardinals evened things four minutes later when Co-MAC Offensive Player of the Week Devanny Kuhn scored her team-leading 13th goal of the year. Gretchen Lulow picked up her league-leading 10th assist of the season on the play.
Ohio answered three minutes later with Brown's first goal of the game. Paige Herr took a corner that was settled by Jenna Green. Brown then converted the penalty-corner scoring opportunity for a 2-1 Green & White lead.
"Taking penalty corners, t's just a lot of repitions and Jenna is my designated stopper," Brown said. "I don't mind who stops it. I feel comfortable with anyone."
That would remain the scoreline heading into halftime as both teams stood even with eight shots apiece. Ohio held a 5-3 edge in penalty corners and goalkeeper Courtney Seiders made all three of her saves during the first 35 minutes.
"At the back today, Jenna did a great job of moving forward and getting into the offensive sets," Macmillan added. "We moved Brooke Edwards back into more of a defensive role today and she also rose to the challenge."
The Bobcats dominated the second half, out-shooting BSU 14-2 and racking up 10 penalty corners as opposed to two for the Cardinals. Brown's second goal of the game, again off a penalty corner taken by Herr and then set up by Green, resulted in the final score.
"We had 20 shots on target, which is excellent accuracy for our team, so I'm very happy with the execution today," Macmillan said. "Hats off their No. 20 [Maura Sawicki]. She finished with four defensive saves which is almost unheard of. Also, their keeper [Chelsea] Mitchell, had a solid game for them."
