HARRISONBURG, Va. – The sixth-seeded Ohio Bobcats field hockey team (5-13, 3-7 MAC) took on the third-seeded App State Mountaineers (14-5, 8-2 MAC) in the MAC Tournament quarterfinals Wednesday afternoon, falling by a score of 2-0.
 
As a team, the Bobcats recorded three shots (all on goal), to the Mountaineer's 14 with seven shots on goal. The Bobcats earned one penalty corner in the game, to the Mountaineer's five.
 
Individually, the Bobcats were led by Sophomore Deborah James (Hertsfordshire, England), who found the back of the net on a late penalty corner to score Ohio's first goal of the game, and her first as a Bobcat.
 
In the cage, sophomore Ash Stephenson (Kingston Upon Hull, England) made four saves on seven shots faced.
 
App State opened the game on the offensive, earning an early penalty corner early and putting a shot on net that forced a save a save from the Bobcat netminder Stephenson. The Mountaineers would earn four more corners throughout the period, each of which forcing the Bobcat defense to stand tall and block shots. However, App State would capitalize on a scoring opportunity with less than a minute remaining in the period to take a 1-0 lead after 15 minutes of play.
 
The second quarter began with a quick opportunity for the Mountaineers, forcing another save from Stephenson. Appalachian State's offensive pressure would continue in the period, resulting in a goal at the 24:35 mark to increase the lead to 2-0, a lead the Mountaineers would take into halftime.
 
Ohio was able to put pressure on the Mountaineer defense in the third quarter, when senior Sasha Dikotla (Johannesburg, South Africa) placed a shot on net, forcing a point blank save from the App State keeper. Minutes later freshman Tiana Nhamoinesu (Thrisk, North Yorkshire) would also record a shot on net, forcing a save from the Mountaineer netminder.
 
With five minutes left in the game, the Mountaineers would capitalize on a penalty corner at the 55:08 mark to score and take a 3-0 lead. The Bobcats would not go away easy, however, as they would take advantage of their first penalty corner of the day. Sophomore defender James took a pass from freshman Karley DuCoin (Turnersville, NJ) and fired a shot to the back of the cage for her first goal as a Bobcat, getting Ohio on the board for the first time in the afternoon. That score line would hold for a 3-1 final, securing a victory for the Mountaineers.
 
The loss concluded the 2025 season for the Ohio field hockey team. Stay tuned to OhioBobcats.com for any news regarding the Bobcats during the offseason. 
 
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