Oct. 28, 2011

Final Stats

Kent, Ohio - Ohio Field Hockey dropped its first game in MAC play this season with a 2-1 overtime setback this afternoon at Kent State. This was the fourth overtime game of the year for the Bobcats (15-4, 8-1) and second in a row.

"I'm disappointed because we played a good game of hockey and we didn't get the result we wanted," Head Coach Neil Macmillan said. "We didn't finish the chances we had. If we did, the game would not have gone to overtime. The team that played today, I couldn't be more proud of them. We had players filling in at positions and playing roles that they're not really used to."

Ohio got things going with two penalty corners and three shots in the first six minutes of the game. However, Kent State countered with the next three shots and off a save by Ohio goalkeeper Jen McGill, Julia Hofmann gathered the rebound and gave Kent State a 1-0 lead in the 11th minute with her fourth goal of the season.

The Bobcats went 17 minutes without a try on goal until Katherine Fenzel had a go. Then in a one-minute span, Ohio worked three penalty corners that resulted in two shots by Cathryn Altdoerffer (both blocked) and one from Taylor Brown (saved by defender Carla Johl). Brown was denied again in the 33rd minute as Ohio trailed at half for the first time since its game against Indiana on September 18.

The Bobcats held an 8-4 shot advantage and a 7-2 edge in penalty corners at the intermission.

Ohio’s first chances of the second half arrived seven minutes in as Altdoerffer and Brown each had tries on goal. Laura Mastro’s best opportunity presented itself in the 47th minute, but the junior shot high.

The Bobcat breakthrough finally happened when Altdoerffer had a try blocked after a penalty corner in the 55th minute. Jessica Jue gathered the rebound at the left post and scored the equalizer for the Green & White. It was her ninth goal of the season.

Another Ohio flurry came in the 62nd minute when the team had three penalty corners that resulted in Brooke Edwards having a shot saved, Altdoerffer missing high and Brown being denied by the Kent State goalkeeper.

Regulation ended with Ohio holding a 16-7 edge in shots and a 13-3 lead in penalty corner chances.

"I was very happy with our aggressiveness," Macmillan added. "We out-shot them and had a large edge in corners. But in overtime, we let them have too many chances and we missed some of our own."

The extra frame began with Brown missing high, three minutes in. After two big saves by McGill, Altdoerffer and Jenna Green were stoned on consecutive chances to try and win the game.

McGill would make three more saves to keep the Bobcats in the game, before Johl gathered a rebound off an initial shot by Hofmann, and scored the game-winner. Hofmann’s chance came off a penalty corner and Johl’s goal was her fourth of the season. McGill finished the game with six saves while Edwards and Green each recorded defensive saves.

Ohio closes its 2011 regular season at home on Sunday with a contest against Central Michigan at 1 p.m. The Bobcats are also the No. 1 seed in the upcoming MAC Tournament, which will be held here in Athens. Ohio’s first game will come in the semifinals on Friday, November 4 at noon.