Missed opportunities doom Chippewas in field hockey loss to Ohio
Central Michigan broke its huddle and sent redshirt sophomore midfielder Anna Riesenberg to take the corner opportunity.
It was the Chippewas seventh corner, and they were struggling to get anything going. This served as a chance to get on the board.
Down 4-0, any hope of a Chippewa rally rested on the attempt.
Riesenberg began the play by firing a pass to senior midfielder Georgina Minta. She wasted no time drilling a shot on goal. However, it was not to be, as Ohio redshirt senior goalkeeper Sophia Boothby made a diving save.
Moments like that told the story Sunday afternoon, as the Chippewas fell 6-1 at the hands of the Ohio Bobcats at the Field Hockey Complex.
Central Michigan was unable to find its offensive footing amidst a torrential downpour, falling to 2-12 overall and 0-4 in the Mid-American Conference.
Junior midfielder Emma Spinetto opened the scoring for the Bobcats, netting a goal with 13:06 remaining in the opening period to take the lead. Her goal was just the start, as senior forward Karynne Baker scored two goals, and Katelyn Whittle added another to make it 4-0 by halftime.
The Chippewas had plenty of corner opportunities, totaling nine on the day. For all those chances, however, they were able to muster just one goal.
"They've got to put in extra work," said coach Catherine Ostoich of her corner unit. "Coming to practice and doing it is not enough."
She also noted that while the Chippewas had more opportunities offensively, the poor defense led to Ohio being able to capitalize on limited chances.
"They wanted to score a goal more than we did," Ostoich said.
After Bobcat sophomore defender Leah Warren made it 5-0 with a goal early in the fourth, Central Michigan was finally able to get on the board.
Alice O'Hagan, a freshman from West Clanton, Surrey, England, tapped in a goal after junior Taryn Damm had her shot bounce off the blocker of Boothby.
The goal was the seventh of the season for O'Hagan. It placed her third in the MAC in goals scored.
Ohio added a late goal, as freshman Lucy Davis scored falling to the turf after the rebound of a Warren miss bounced out to her.
The loss on Sunday is the 12th in a row for Central Michigan, which last won on Sept. 2 in a 3-0 victory over Saint Louis.
The Chippewas next take the field Friday against Kent State.
That game, which is scheduled to start at 4 p.m., will see the field hockey complex dedicated to former coach Cristy Freese.
