Sept. 17, 2010
FORT WAYNE, Ind. - Ohio soccer peppered the IPFW goalkeeper throughout the second half, but it was the Mastodons that took advantage of a score late in the first half and handed the Bobcats a close 1-0 defeat on the road Friday night.
The Green and White (2-3-1) outshot IPFW (3-5) 8-4 in the second stanza, including landing four attempts on goal. The Mastodons held a slight edge in shots overall at 12-11 with Ohio claiming a 5-3 edge in shots on goal. Action was physical throughout the contest as three yellow cards were handed out and 28 total fouls were called on the evening.
"We elevated our play in the second half and created more chances," Ohio coach Stacy Strauss said. "We just couldn't convert. I give them (IPFW) a lot of credit. They are a hard-working and disrupting team, and they disrupted our style of play. We need to elevate our play some and play with more urgency throughout on Sunday."
Erin Schwenke (Solon, Ohio) led the way for the `Cats, tallying three shots on the game, including two on goal. Rachael Philpot (Cincinnati, Ohio) and Jackie Hanson (LaGrange, Ill.) each recorded two shots with one on goal, while Mattie Liston (Lakewood, Ohio) recorded two saves in goal for Ohio.
The `Cats came out ready in the early going as Schwenke and Philpot both picked up close shots through the first eight minutes of play, including Philpot's attempt that was just saved by the Mastodon keeper. IPFW came back and controlled the action over the next few minutes of play. The Mastodons came close to getting on the board midway through the 23rd minute when a shot from Arianne Mason ricocheted off the crossbar.
Ohio's defense played well through the middle of the first half as it kept IPFW's attack at bay and off the scoreboard. The Mastodons scored the first tally of the contest late in the 42nd minute as they managed to get on a quick break and send a pair of quick passes into the box before Felicia Jones managed to sneak a quick shot just beyond the keeper's reach and into the back of the net. The first half ended with the `Cats down 1-0.
The Green and White came out strong to open the second period and controlled the action early. Toye Famodu (Bloomington, Minn.) and Kelsey Pichel (Rochester Hills, Mich.) each had shots in the first 12 minutes of the frame, but unfortunately for Ohio, neither was able to find the mark. The `Cats continued to battle strong and had a promising opportunity early in the 68th minute when they managed to get possession deep in Mastodon territory. Sara Seitz (Englewood, Ohio) had a quick shot deflected away, before Schwenke fired a promising try right at the net, only to see the IPFW keeper make a nice save.
Schwenke came close yet again late in the 72nd minute, only to see the Mastodon keeper thwart her attempt. Ohio continued to battle and picked up another scoring opportunity in the 83rd minute when a shot from Hanson looked to be right on target and was stopped again by the keeper. The `Cats kept up the battle and had two more opportunities on shots from Hanson and Cathryn Rogers (Toronto, Ontario) late in the 85th and early in the 86th minutes, but they were still not able to get on the board. IPW's defense managed to withstand the attack the rest of the way to sneak away with the 1-0 win.
Ohio will continue its road swing when it returns to action Sunday at Morehead State. First touch with the Eagles is set for 1 p.m.
