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ATHENS, Ohio - Ohio field hockey (6-7) dominated Bellarmine (7-8) by a score of 8-2 at Pruitt Field on Senior Day Friday afternoon to clinch a spot in the Mid-American Conference Tournament for the first time since 2021. The Bobcats scored a season-high eight goals in their route of the Knights.
Senior goalie Macy Lotze (Lousiville, Ky.) made seven saves on nine shots in the final home contest of the year.
The Knights were unable to keep up with the Bobcats' scorching offense, led by fifth year forward Katelyn Whittle (Glenwood, Md.). Whittle scored two goals mere minutes apart in the first period, leading to her fifth multi-goal game this season.
"Our press was really good," Whittle said. "We put a lot of pressure on them and caused a lot of turnovers. That turned into offense."
Whittle knocked in an additional three goals in the third period to put herself at five goals Friday afternoon. It was her career-high in single-game goals and was her first hat trick of the season. Her stellar performance moved her into the top five for goals per game in Division I. She also tacked on two assists to bring her to seven on the season, which also leads the team.
One of Whittle's assists came on fifth year midfielder Weslee Littlefield's (Oakland, Maine) first career goal. Littlefield moved up into the forward line later into her career after starting as a back her freshman season. Head coach Ali Johnstone was excited to see Littlefield cap off her career at Pruitt with the accomplishment.
The Bobcats relentlessly attacked the Knights in the circle and picked up corners to help their offense. Senior back Meela Kopp (Louisville, Ky.) smacked a corner from Whittle straight into the net for her third goal of the season. Kopp hadn't scored a goal since September before Friday, but was able to find the net off a powerful shot.
"We were going to call more options but it just looked open right down the middle, so we went for it," Johnstone said. "Their left post I think is leading the MAC in defensive saves but Mila got a really good hold of it."
Bellarmine challenged Ohio's defense with corners of its own. However, Ohio fended off the shots with ease. Sophomore back Anouk Plaehn (Hanover, Germany) recorded her first career defensive save on a penalty corner in the first period, aiding in the Bobcats' score. Plaehn also helped out on offense with two assists. She tied Whittle and freshman Pauline Hartelib (Leverkusen, Germany) for the most assists in Friday's match.
Littlefield closed out the afternoon with her second goal of the day and her career to secure a win for the Bobcats.
"It was about time something goes in," Littlefield said with a laugh.
Up Next:
Ohio may not have any matches left at Pruitt Field, but it does have two more road matches before the MAC Tournament. Next on the docket for Ohio is Appalachian State, the No. 1 team in the MAC. The two are set to face off on Oct. 27 (Friday) at 3 p.m. in Boone, North Carolina.
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