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ATHENS, Ohio – Playing at Chessa Field in front of over 370 fans for the first time this season, the Ohio Bobcats (2-1-1) defeated Virginia Military Institute (0-6) 11-0 in its 2022-23 home opener Sunday (Sept.4). With 11 goals in a single game, Ohio soccer surpassed their career record of 8, which was set back in September 1997. It was also Ohio's second straight win of the season after defeating Marshall on the road 3-1 last Sunday (Aug. 28).

In the first half, Isabella Ginocchi, Shae Robertson, Aubrey Rea, and Maia Kaufman, each had a goal. Freshman Scout Murray scored 2 goals in the last 10 minutes of the first half to put the Bobcats' up 6-0 against the Keydets after 45 minutes of play.

The Bobcats continued to hold strong offensively with two goals from Eve Berish, two goals from Payton Rigg, and the 11th goal by Abby Townsend. On the defensive side, freshman goalkeeper Sarah Ardus got to make her Ohio Bobcat debut subbing in for Celeste Sloma after 45 minutes. Reese Dorsey then finished out the second half with one save total. 

Coach Aaron Rodgers said, "going into the game we wanted to be intense for the 90 minutes and we wanted to play quickly. There were some times in our previous games that our speed of play was a bit slower so we've been training on getting forward quicker, limiting our touches in the midfield, and we definitely did that today. And then it obviously led to some tremendous chances and some great finishes." 

Ultimately, the Bobcats outshot Virginia Military Institute 18-1, with 10 of the Bobcats' shots coming in the first half. The match also allowed all eligible players on the roster to gain some minutes on the field, "I think just gaining those minutes and gaining the experience of playing this game at this pace with this intensity is really important," comments Rodgers.

Up Next:  

The Bobcats will travel to Highland Heights, Kentucky to play Northern Kentucky on Thursday (Sept. 8), with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m. It will be their fourth meeting between the two schools with an overall record of 1 Bobcat win and 2 losses.

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