Oct. 14, 2011
Final Stats | Photo Gallery 
ATHENS, Ohio â€" Ohio Soccer was on the verge of picking up a 1-0 win over rival Miami on Friday night, holding a one-goal lead in the waning stages of the second half. The RedHawks had other ideas, scoring with ten seconds remaining to pull level at 1-1 before ultimately finding the winning goal near the end of double overtime. Mattie Liston made 13 saves in the contest, stopping all but two of the shots that came her way. This impressive single-match save total ranks fourth all-time in the Ohio record books.
With the loss, the Bobcats now sit at 6-8-1 (3-1-1 Mid-American Conference) while Miami improves to 7-7 (2-5 MAC).
Miami came out on fire to start the match, pressuring the Ohio defense right from the start. The RedHawks accumulated 15 total shots in the first 45 minutes, keeping Liston (Lakewood, Ohio) busy throughout the half. Hailey Pleshakov fired three shots during the first frame and four of her teammates each added two of their own. Ten of these shots found their way on goal, but Liston was there to stop them all. Perhaps the best save of the half came in the 35th minute when Pleshakov made a few nice moves to beat two Bobcat defenders. She had a one-on-one showdown with Liston, who was able to charge out and make a diving save to keep the scores level.
In terms of weather, the first half was quite unusual. The game began in a light rain and at one point was subject to winds of approximately 30 miles per hour moving against Ohio, making life difficult for the Bobcats during the middle stretch of the half. Things settled down considerably in the second half, however.
The Bobcats turned things around in the second half, playing with impressive intensity and changing the tone of the match. Shots by Kelsey Pichel (Rochester, Mich.) and Erin Schwenke (Solon, Ohio) had goalkeeper Allison Norenberg on her toes early in the second frame. Ohio was able to break the deadlock in the 73rd minute when Toye Famodu scored her fourth goal of the season. Ainsley Bodi (Strongsville, Ohio) and Natalie Bechtel (Westlake, Ohio) proved instrumental in the scoring play, setting Bodi up nicely during a bit of a chaotic spell in Miami’s end.
“We changed our formation at halftime,†said Head Coach Stacy Strauss. “They (Miami) then adjusted to match it. It was kind of a game of chess.â€
Ohio was just ten seconds from victory when Jess Kodiak scored at the very end of regulation. Teammate Haley Clark played a nice ball to Kodiak at the six-yard box and she made no mistake with it, taking a touch before beating Liston to the far post.
Just when it seemed that the match was destined for a 1-1 draw, Miami scored the game winner in the 107th minute. Giselle Mangal made a good run down the endline with the ball before delivering an accurate pass to Katy Dolesh, who was waiting near the penalty spot. Dolesh hit the ball first-time, driving it into the back of the net for the victory.
“We had the run of play in the second half and certainly had some chances,†Strauss said. “We also had some chances in overtime that we should have capitalized on.â€
The Bobcats will next be in action on Sunday at 1 p.m. when they host Bowling Green. Members of the 2001 MAC Championship team will be in attendance at the game and will receive halftime recognition.
Goals:
Ohio â€" Toye Famodu 4 (Ainsley Bodi 1, Natalie Bechtel 1) 73’
Miami â€" Jess Kodiak 7 (Haley Clark 2) 90’
Miami â€" Katy Dolesh 5 (Giselle Mangal 3) 107’
Ohio starting XI (numerically): Mattie Liston (GK), Kelsey Pichel, Cathryn Rogers, Paige Howard, Lauren Burke, Kim Nordtveit, Erin Schwenke, Rachael Philpot, Katie Kemen, Remi Famodu, Toye Famodu
