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ATHENS, Ohio — Ohio finished fourth in the Mid-American Conference last season. It secured a home advantage for the first round of the MAC Tournament, however it lost 1-0 to rival Miami to end the season. After not ending the 2022  the way it wanted to, Ohio is back for the 2023 season with a new perspective. 

"We need to defend a little bit better than we did last year. We scored a lot of goals last year, which was really good, but maybe we gave up a little more than we would have wanted to," head coach Aaron Rodgers said. "I felt like we gave up more than we did in 2021 when we finished second; we gave up very few goals. That's something we need to get back to." 

The Bobcats are trying out some new tactics this season to boost both sides of the ball. They're a younger team with more underclassmen than upperclassmen — eight of which are freshmen — but that's what makes the Bobcats stronger. They're fresh and eager to win. 

The freshman got their first taste of collegiate play in an exhibition against Butler on Aug. 8. Fifth year Hailey Miller was happy to see her newest teammates on the field. 

"We didn't get the result we wanted, but I think that seeing the freshman and how visible they were for their first college game, and how much they're going to adapt, is something for me personally, that I'm looking forward to."

Ohio has a handful of veteran returners, including Miller and Ella Bianco. Also making their returns are Carsyn Prigge and Isabella Ginocchi. Miller and Bianco started in almost all of Ohio's matches last season, while Prigge started all 19. Ginocchi started 13 games before sustaining a season-ending injury.

Having a veteran presence will help the Bobcats as they move through their schedule. The Bobcats will hit the road to take on Navy and Marshall in August, while seeing other opponents at home. 

Another nonconference game that Ohio has its eyes on is Ohio State. Ohio will travel to Columbus on Sept. 7 to play Ohio State for the first time since 2019. 

"We played them in the spring and we came out on a new formation for the first time and I thought we played really well," Miller said. "We've been building on that new formation, so I'm excited to play them and see the new matchup." 

However, Ohio's main focus is its MAC schedule and getting back to the tournament. It will kick-off MAC play on Sept. 21 against Kent State at home. The Bobcats will then hit the road before coming back home on Oct. 1. From there, they will play at home on-and-off until the end of October. 

"It's such a tough conference that we play in. We've always played good games against Kent State, Miami and Buffalo. We've played tough games against Bowling Green," Rodgers said. "It's exciting to go out and be able to compete." 

Aside from making the tournament and winning a MAC Championship, Ohio's main goal is to remain motivated throughout the season. Rodgers doesn't want his team to fall victim to burnout so that it can play to the fullest potential. 

"I tell the team that everybody is positive and motivated on day one. It's how do you feel throughout the season, how do you keep that positivity? How do you keep that motivation? In the end of August, in September and October, it starts to drag on and maybe you have some bad losses or you have some good wins or you have some frustrating injuries and moments, but how do you stay motivated? If you're positive and I think for us, maximizing our potential is what we want to do."

Ohio will get its first chance to show its potential on Aug. 17 when it hosts Duquesne for its first game of the season.   

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