The Mid-American Conference matchup between the Eastern Michigan University women’s soccer team and Ohio University ended with the Bobcats taking a late lead with 1:13 remaining on the clock on Sunday, Oct. 2, at Scicluna Field in Ypsilanti.
The Eagles were first to put a score on the board in the five-goal contest with sophomore midfielder Maddie O'Farrell knocking home a shot at 8:35.
Ohio scored at 20:35 as Berg scored the first goal. Ohio’s Regan Berg took control of the ball and carried it down the left flank before cutting into the area. As she approached the six-yard box, she shot slow and slotted the ball past Eastern's keeper, to tie at 1-1.
Ohio would claim their first lead of the day as Berg struck again at 52:04 early into the second half. Abby Townsend played a cross into the box where Berg could move past the defense and head home the pass for a 2-1 score.
The Eagles continued to push forward after losing the lead which led to a tie at 74:06. Freshman Arielle Fink worked her way open in the penalty box and ripped a shot toward the back post from the right wing only to see the shot clear the keeper's hands, but bounce off of the left post. The ball, however, fell directly to O'Farrell, who quickly blasted the ball into the net to complete her brace.
Both teams continued to push and work for a winning goal, and the Bobcats did just that with under two minutes on the board with Berg scoring the last goal at 88:47, completing her hat trick to give Ohio University the 3-2 win.
This loss marks the Eagles’ first-time losing in 2022 after scoring the first goal in the game. Eastern continues to top its offensive numbers from one year ago as it has tallied 15 goals, 12 assists, and 42 points through 11 matches after being limited to 13 goals, eight assists, and 34 points in 2021.
With her goals, O'Farrell is now the team leader in goals (4), assists (3), and points (11) and is the first player to score double-digit points in a season since Sabrina McNeill finished with 15 points on seven goals and one assist in 2020.
O'Farrell recorded the first multiple-goal match of her career and joined sophomore Megan Lukowski as the lone Eagles to record a brace this year after Lukowski found the net twice at Illinois State University on Aug. 21, 2022. The four points O'Farrell recorded is also a career-high, surpassing the three points (one goal and one assist) she recorded at Illinois State earlier this year.
The Eagles return home on Thursday, Oct. 6, with the Kent State University Golden Flashes coming to town. The MAC matchup is scheduled to start at 4 p.m. at Scicluna Field.
Following that, the Eagles will host the University at Buffalo on Sunday, Oct. 9, at Scicluna Field, scheduled to start at 1 p.m.
For more information on the Eastern Michigan University’s womens soccer team, you can visit EMUEagles.com.
