ATHENS, OH - Toledo was matched shot for shot by Ohio, but it was the Midnight Blue & Gold that managed to convert key opportunities and claimed a 2-0 victory over the Bobcats on Friday at Chessa Field.
The Rockets (7-2-2, 3-0-0 MAC) equaled host Ohio (3-5-2, 0-2-1 MAC) in shots with 12 each, but the visitors were able to convert on opportunities in the 15th minute and later in the 56th minute to take the win.
Both sides started strong, attacking the opposition early and often. Junior netminder Vicki Traven made a key save in the early minutes to help douse the Bobcat attack. The Rockets then took their turn attacking when senior Brittany Hensler put the Rockets on the board first with a goal on a chip shot over the Ohio keeper at 14:33.
Ohio responded with a series of shots of its own, but was unable to find the mark. Traven made a couple of nice saves in the series, including a diving stop to the left on a ball headed for the back corner of the net. The Rockets took control of the possession from there, but were unable to capitalize. Both sides went back and forth for the rest of the half and the period ended with Toledo leading 1-0.
The Bobcats came out firing to start the second stanza, but the Rockets' defense wouldn't budge. Toledo once again capitalized on a key opportunity with a breakaway after a long pass from sophomore Natalia Gaitan. Junior Kristen Lynn was then able to get a one-on-one with the keeper and knocked it just out of reach for the Rockets' second score of the day at the 55:49 mark.
Later in the 68th minute, Ohio made an attempt get on the board, but a strong shot was saved once again by Traven. The Bobcats continued to pressure the Rocket defense, but they held firm and kept Ohio off the board the rest of the way.
"We are happy to come away with the win today" Head Coach Brad Evans said. "Ohio did a good job of disrupting us and creating some chances for themselves but we were fortunate to finish enough of our chances to get the win and earn the shutout on the road. It was good to see our older players step up as the game went along and they provided great leadership and stability when needed."
Much of that leadership came from the strong play of Traven, who notched seven saves en route to her fourth shutout of the season. But it was the full effort of the Rocket defense and the ability to capitalize on opportunites by the Rocket offense that led Toledo to its fourth-straight overall and third-straight conference win.
"It was a very physical game today, but as a team we stayed tough through the entire 90 minutes and were able to capitalize on our chances" junior Ana Reynolds said. "We were excited to earn a win on the road and continue to improve as a team."
The Rockets will stay on the road this weekend, as they next travel to Akron to face the Zips on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.
TOLEDO 2, Ohio 0
UT: B. Hensler (M. Blake), 14:33
UT: K. Lynn (N. Gaitan), 55:49
SHOTS: UT 12, Ohio 12
CORNER KICKS: UT 3, Ohio 3
SAVES: UT 7, Ohio 7
FOULS: UT 12, Ohio 10
