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ATHENS, Ohio – The Ohio soccer team (1-0-0) opened the 2025 season in style, with goals from
Anna Burchett and
Kate Robinson, defeating Western Kentucky (0-1-0), 2-0, Thursday afternoon (Aug. 14) at Chessa Field.
Overall, Ohio recorded 12 shots with seven on goal, while WKU registered seven shots with three on goal. The Bobcats recorded two corner kicks to WKU's zero, and Ohio registered three saves, while the WKU keepers registered five.
Individually, Ohio was led by junior Burchett (Prestonburg, Ky.) who had one goal on four shots, with two on goal, followed by junior Robinson (Madison Heights, Mich.) with her first goal as a Bobcat. Junior
Jaimason Brooker (Powell, Ohio) added one assist and two shots, while sophomore
Iro Fakinou (Athens, Greece) recorded one assist and one shot.
In goal, senior
Celeste Sloma (Columbus, Ohio) played all 90 minutes and recorded her first clean sheet of the season, while making three saves.
Ohio opened the game with the first two attempts of the season when Burchett fired a ball just wide in the second minute, setting up a shot by Brooker that was blocked in the seventh minute. The Bobcats continued to hold the ball in the offensive zone over the next 15 minutes.
Ohio struck in the right after the hydration break in the 29
th minute when Burchett received the pass from Brooker and fired it to the right of the diving WKU keeper, giving Ohio a 1-0 lead late into the first half.
After the Bobcats continued to keep pressure on the WKU defense, the Hilltopper offense finally got their first solid attempt of the half in the 31
st minute when Sloma snagged the ball to her right to keep WKU off the board. WKU recorded a few more attempts over the final 10 minutes, but the Ohio defense kept them off the board, sending the game to the half with Ohio up, 1-0.
At the half, Ohio recorded six shots with three on goal, while WKU registered four shots with one on goal. Burchett led the way with one goal and three attempts, while Brooker added a shot and an assist in the half.
The Bobcats opened the second half as they did the first, taking control of the ball in the offensive zone, with sophomore
Lillian Weller (Xenia, Ohio), senior
Scout Murray (Chicago, Ill.) and Brooker all forcing the WKU keeper to make saves early in the half. WKU forced Sloma to make a save in the 65
th minute, with the senior keeping the Hilltoppers off the board and the Ohio lead.
Ohio added on in the 74
th minute when Robinson took advantage of a ball sent in front of the net by Fakinou, recording her first goal as a Bobcat and giving Ohio a 2-0 lead with 15 minutes to play.
Over the remaining minutes, the Ohio offense kept WKU out of the offensive zone, playing out to match to secure the 2-0 victory for the Bobcats.
Up next, the Bobcats are back in Athens on Sunday, Aug. 17 when Ohio hosts ACC opponent Clemson. First touch is set for 12:30 p.m. ET at Chessa Field. The game can be seen on ESPN+.
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