ATHENS, Ohio — Ohio field hockey (4-6) fell to No. 23 Wake Forest (5-6) by a score of 2-1 on Sunday afternoon (Oct. 8) at Pruitt Field. 

The Bobcats kept the Demon Deacons close throughout the entire match. The defense persisted and held the Demon Deacons to eight shots on goal in the match.

Senior goaltender Macy Lotze (Louisville, Ky.) ended the match with five saves for the Bobcats and kept the Demon Deacons off the board through the first quarter. 

Wake Forest put pressure on Ohio through the first half. Ohio's forwards were heavily guarded as they approached the circle, and doing so allowed Wake Forest to deflect most of Ohio's shots. Wake Forest's defense did all it could to keep Ohio off-balance. 

"We talked about taking more control and ownership of our passes. In the first half, we kind of got a little excited and  tossed the ball a little bit," head coach Ali Johnstone said. "We just said you need to have a purpose with your pass like every pass has to have a purpose and you better pick it up and make the pass and find the teammate and put it on target."

The Bobcats were on the verge of a shutout in the third quarter, as every shot they put up was blocked by the Demon Deacons. The Demon Deacons forced the Bobcats to get creative with their offense. But, Graduate student forward Katelyn Whittle (Glenwood, Md.) knocked in Ohio's lone goal as she fell out of bounds in the 35th minute. The goal was her 10th of the season, which leads the team. Whittle's goal solidified her place in the top 10 in the country in goals per game, where she is currently tied for 6th.

"I have to give all the credit to my teammates for giving me these opportunities to score some goals," Whittle said. "It does start on the defense and our ability to move the ball on the field was pretty spectacular today."

Ohio had several opportunities to score on penalty corners, however Wake Forest's defensive penalty corner unit was quick to defend the shots. Ohio went 0-for-7 on penalty corners, while Wake Forest went 1-for-6. Ohio's last penalty corner of the game late intp the fourth quarter could have tied the game, but Wake Forest's defense knocked it wide left. 

Despite the loss, the Bobcats are optimistic. 

"In the second half, we pretty much controlled most of the possession so I keep telling our team that we are that good, and it'll come. We just have to keep believing and keep fighting."

Up Next:

Ohio will return to the field on Friday, Oct. 3 to take on Central Michigan in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. First touch is set for 2 PM Eastern Time.

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