THE BASICS

Score: Ohio 3, Central Michigan 2 (OT)

Records: Ohio (4-9, 3-2 MAC), Central Michigan (6-10, 4-1 MAC)

Location: CMU Field Hockey Complex - Mount Pleasant, Mich.

Short Story: Senior Caelyn Hartley (Escondido, Calif.) raced 90 yards and scored a breakaway goal two minutes into overtime as the Ohio field hockey team (4-9 3-2 MAC) bested Mid-American Conference frontrunner Central Michigan (6-10, 4-1 MAC), 3-2, on Saturday (Oct. 25) at the CMU Field Hockey Complex in Mount Pleasant, Mich. The Bobcats clinched a berth in the 2014 MAC Championship - which will be held Nov. 7-8 at Murphy-Mellis Field in Kent, Ohio -- and handed the Chippewas their first league loss of the season.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Bobcats outshot the Chippewas, 12-7, and came away with a victory despite Central Michigan holding a 10-4 advantage in corners.

• Hartley tallied her first goal of the 2014 season and first match winner of her career. She has now tallied six goals in fours seasons for Ohio.

• Redshirt senior Lauryl Desch (Charlottesville, Va.) led the match with three shots -- including two on goal to match her with junior Adele Sammons (Upminster, England) for the team lead. The reigning MAC Offensive Player of the Week leads Ohio with 28 shots in 2014 - including a team-high 17 on goal. 

• Senior goalkeeper Brittany Walker (Elizabethtown, Pa.) made three saves while surrendering two goals in just over 72 minutes of work in the cage. Her season save total now stands at 53, and she surpassed the 200-career saves milestone as she now owns 202 career stops.

• Ohio grabbed a quick 1-0 lead in the fifth minute as Sammons recorded her fourth goal of the season off a rebound.

• The Bobcats extended their advantage to 2-0 in the 28th minute when freshman Elena Curley (Louisville, Ky.) notched her first career goal off a rebound.

• Central Michigan answered five minutes later on a goal by senior forward Cayleigh Immelman, who took a pass on the right side from junior midfielder Kaysie Gregory. Gregory picked up her team-leading sixth assist of the year.

 Â• The Chippewas evened the score in the 42nd minute as Immelman found the back of the cage for the second time in the match and team-leading eighth time in 2014, using a pass from junior forward Kianne Hinkle, who picked up her fourth assist of the season, and capitalizing from the right side of the circle.

• Ohio and Central Michigan found themselves in a stalemate over the remaining 28 minutes of regulation, but the Bobcats improved to 2-0 in matches that require overtime in 2014 thanks to Hartley's sprint to victory. 

• Immelman and Gregory tied for the team lead with two shots on goal for Central Michigan.

• Junior goalkeeper Sadie Lynn Reynolds made five saves for the Chippewas to lead the match, extending her conference lead to 129 stops in 2014.

QUOTABLE

"The overtime goal was amazing. It was the goal of the season, without a doubt. She went a long, long way to score that goal. Great individual effort. She outran all of the Central Michigan team, pretty much, to get down to the other end." - 10th-year head coach Neil Macmillan

UP NEXT

Ohio closes out the 2014 regular season next weekend from the friendly confines of Pruitt Field. The Bobcats play host to Missouri State in a 3 p.m. ET tilt on Friday (Oct. 31), then celebrate Senior Day on Saturday (Nov. 1) in a 2 p.m. ET matchup against Wake Forest for the regular season finale.

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