Final Stats
ATHENS, OH - Toledo scored two first-half goals and cruised to a 3-0 shutout victory at Ohio on Sunday afternoon at Chessa Field. With the victory, the Rockets improve to 5-6-3 overall, 4-1-1 in the Mid-American Conference and stand alone in first place in the league standings with 13 points. It was also UT's first win in five-career meetings with the Bobcats in Athens.
"This was a good win for our team," Toledo Assistant Coach Jon Chin said. "We came out and fought hard from the opening minute and were able to put them under some pressure. We were also able to create some scoring chances for ourselves and capitalize on them."
Sophomore Laura Mecklenborg got the Rockets off to a fast start and found the back of the net for the first time this season in the eighth minute of the match. The goal ended a shutout streak of 247:43 minutes by Bobcat (6-7-0, 4-2-0 MAC) goalkeeper Dominque Wright.
The Rockets added to their lead with a tally by freshman Heather Wesley in the 40th minute for a 2-0 lead at the intermission. Classmate Molly Cornwell was credited with the assist. Toledo finished the scoring in the 68th minute on a goal by senior Ashley Gerwin for the 3-0 final.
Toledo finished with a 5-3 edge in shots on goal and recorded five corner kicks to the Bobcats' three. Senior goalkeeper Jen Whipple made three saves in 90 minutes of action between the posts and recorded her second shutout victory of the 2006 campaign.
The Rockets, who entered this weekend's action winless in six road matches this season, also defeated Akron on Friday and are off to their best MAC start in school history. The top four teams in the final regular-season standings will host teams five through eight in the quarterfinal round on Sunday, Oct. 29 at campus sites, with the highest-remaining seed among the four survivors hosting the semifinals (Nov. 3) and championship (Nov. 5). Teams earn three points for a win and a single point for a tie.
"This was a good weekend overall for our team," Chin said. "Anytime you come away from a MAC road weekend with six points, it's a great weekend."
Toledo will look to continue its momentum next Friday when it travels to Buffalo for a 7:00 p.m. match up with the Bulls.
TOLEDO 3, Ohio 0
UT: L. Mecklenborg (Unassisted), 7:14
UT: H. Wesley (Cornwell), 39:43
UT: A. Gerwin (Unassisted), 67:17
SHOTS: UT 11, OU 8
CORNER KICKS: UT 5, OU 4
SAVES: UT 3, OU 2
FOULS: UT 12, OU 5
