THE BASICS

Score: Ohio 5, Ball State 3

Records: Ohio (3-8, 2-2 MAC), Ball State (5-9, 1-3 MAC)

Location: Pruitt Field - Athens, Ohio

Short Story: The Ohio field hockey team (3-8, 2-2 MAC) topped Mid-American Conference foe Ball State (5-9, 1-3 MAC), 5-3, on Sunday (Oct. 19) at Pruitt Field. 

 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Although Ball State held the advantage in shots (10-7) and corners (10-7), Ohio was able to connect on five of its corners opportunities for goals.
• Ohio's five goals marked a season high.
• The Bobcats came away victorious while celebrating the program's 'Pink Game,' which supports the fight against breast cancer.

• Senior Lauryl Desch (Charlottesville, Va.) recorded her first career hat trick with goals in the second, 35th and 59th minutes. She has now tallied five goals in Ohio's last two matches and currently ranks third on the squad with six points. Desch posted a team-high four shots -- a team-high three of which were on goal. 
• Junior Adele Sammons (Upminster, England) found the back of the cage twice and assisted on two of Desch's goals -- upping her season goal total to three and her season assist total to four. Her seven points are tied with senior Caelyn Hartley (Escondido, Calif.) for the team lead. Sammons finished the match with three shots -- two of which were on goal.
• Hartley also enjoyed a career day, tallying four assists to bring her season total to seven.

• Redshirt sophomore Vicky Nase (Lancaster, Pa.) enjoyed a breakout performance, recording her first three career assists.
• Senior goalkeeper Brittany Walker (Elizabethtown, Pa.) registered four saves in 70 minutes of work, bringing her season total to 47. She has now made 196 career saves. 

• The Bobcats struck early to go up 1-0 via a second-minute goal by Desch off a corner chance, with Sammons and Hartley providing assists.

• Ohio kept the pressure coming, connecting on a second corner opportunity in the eighth minute as Sammons cashed in off assists from Nase and Hartley.

• Ball State broke through in the 25th minute, utilizing a corner chance of its own as senior midfielder/forward Tori Widrick registered her fourth goal of the season thanks to an assist from senior midfielder Tarel Teach.

• The Cardinals fed off the momentum, knotting the match up at two-all by way of sophomore forward/back Morgan Nash's first goal of the year three minutes later, which was scored off of a rebound on a corner attempt.
• Ball State made it three unanswered goals when sophomore forward Colleen McGlynn capitalized on another corner chance in the 31st minute for her second goal of the year, with Teach's second helper of the match and fifth of the season paving the way.

• Ohio looked prepared to head into halftime facing a 3-2 deficit, but the 'Cats coaxed two corner opportunities with no time on the clock, and Desch made the Cardinals pay on the second chance, taking assists from Sammons and Hartley to square things up at three-all.

• The Bobcats jumped back in command of the match in the 44th minute when Sammons dribbled through the D after taking a pass from Nase on a corner and scoring the go-ahead goal to put Ohio back in front, 4-3.

• Ohio hammered the final nail in the coffin in the 60th minute when Desch tallied her third goal of the contest with assists by Nase and Hartley off of another corner, giving the Bobcats a 5-3 lead.

• Teach led the match with five shots -- including three on goal. Junior goalkeeper Shelby Henley started the first 35 minutes in the cage for the Cardinals, allowing three goals. Sophomore goalkeeper Jordan Dunes played the final 35 minutes for Ball State, surrendering the decisive goals and taking her first loss of the season.

QUOTABLE

"I think repetition. Most of my goals have come off of corner set pieces, so that's been really nice. The tough part of that is getting all seven people involved and on the same page to really get it in the back of the net." - Senior Lauryl Desch on scoring five goals over the last two matches -- including a hat trick against Ball State on Sunday

UP NEXT

Ohio hosts No. 7-ranked Louisville on Tuesday (Oct. 21) in a midweek non-conference match at Pruitt Field. The contest is scheduled to get underway at 3 p.m. ET.

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