The road was unkind to the Valpo soccer team on Sunday afternoon in Athens, Ohio, as host Ohio scored in the 19^th minute to take the lead for good in an eventual 5-0 final.

How It Happened

• Ella Deevers put Ohio on the board in the 19^th minute, while Scout Murray added a second for the Bobcats less than four minutes later.
• The match went into halftime with Ohio up 2-0, as the Beacons were limited to just one shot attempt over the opening 45 minutes.
• Murray finished off a hat trick with goals in the 54^th and 69^th minutes, and the Bobcats capped the scoring inside the final minute of action.

Inside the Match

• Sunday’s meeting was the first matchup between the two programs.
• Ohio, which earned the MAC’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament last season, held an 17-3 advantage in shots and put eight on goal to Valpo’s one. The Bobcats also earned all eight of the match’s corner kicks.
• Redshirt sophomore Kate Sheridan (Grand Rapids, Mich./East Grand Rapids) made one save in the first half. Freshman Hailey Wade (Fishers, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern) made her collegiate debut in goal in the second half and made a pair of stops.

Thoughts From Coach Marovich

“I thought our team shape in our mid block, which we’ve done a lot of work on, was good in the first half. In the end, we only gave away six shots in that half. Unfortunately, we had a couple of moments where we were undisciplined, broke out of our shape — we go down two goals, now we’re chasing the game, and the whole complexion of the game changes in those moments.”

“At that point, we have to ask ourselves what we are going to do to continue to learn how we build and grow. We had some moments in the game today that were quite good — now we have to stack those moments, and eliminate the little mistakes which allow the opponent to punish us.”

“It’s all still about the same thing — how are we learning and growing as a group?  That was the takeaway after last Sunday’s win, and that’s the takeaway today after a disappointing loss on the road.”

Next Up

Valpo (2-2-0) returns home to Brown Field this coming Thursday, Sept. 5, as the Beacons welcome Xavier to town. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.