Athens, Ohio – The Ohio field hockey team returned to action for their home opener at Pruitt Field Friday afternoon, defeating #11 UMass in dramatic fashion by a score of 1-0.
 
The defensive battle featured five shots from the Bobcats with two on net, while the Minutewomen recorded 12 shots with three on net.
 
Individually, senior Anouk Plaehn (Hanover, Germany) scored the game-winning goal for the Bobcats, her second of the season. The game featured a strong defensive effort to keep the Minutewomen off the board for 60 minutes, highlighted by sophomore goalkeeper Ash Stephenson (Kingston Upon Hull, England) stopping all three shots faced for her first clean sheet as a Bobcat.
 
Both teams traded chances in an action packed first quarter, with the Bobcats and Minutewomen notching two shots and one penalty corner each. Stephenson made the first of her three saves at the 14:34 mark to keep the game tied at 0-0 after 15 minutes of play.
 
Ohio opened the second quarter with sustained offensive pressure, as Juniors Emily Beitzel (Hershey, Pa.) and Natalie LaFleur (Fredericksburg, Va.) both forced saves from the UMass netminder in the opening minutes of the quarter. The Bobcats quickly shifted focus to the defensive end, stopping three consecutive UMass penalty corners and five total in a tense two minute period, keeping the score at 0-0 headed into the half.
 
The third quarter again featured back and forth play from both teams, and the Bobcats once again were forced to buckle down on defense. Stevenson made her second save of the game at the 39:15 mark, keeping zeroes on the scoreboard heading into the fourth quarter.  
 
The Bobcats capitalized on an early fourth quarter chance, when Senior Plaehn scored the first goal of the game for either team off a penalty corner at the 48:31 mark. The tense final minutes of the game again featured strong play from the Bobcat defense, highlighted by a diving save from Stevenson at the 52:07 mark. Ohio went on to secure the win and a 1-0 record at Pruitt Field this season.
 
The Bobcats will return to action on Sunday, September 28^th, when they travel to Central Michigan to face the Chippewas. First touch is set for 12 p.m., and streaming information can be found on ohiobobcats.com.
 
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