Ohio Northern 3, Ohio Wesleyan 1

Sept. 9, 2008

Freshman midfielder Jenny Howe (Newton, Mass./South) scored to erase a 1-0 deficit, but Ohio Northern rallied for a pair of goals less than a minute apart to escape with a non-conference win over Ohio Wesleyan on Tuesday at Roy Rike Field.

Ohio Wesleyan had the first good scoring chance of the game, that coming in the eighth minute when senior forward Allie Cozzone (Chagrin Falls/Kenston) had her shot blocked by the Polar Bear defense, and the rebound went to senior forward Megan Quinn (Hilliard/Columbus School for Girls), who had an open look but sent her follow shot over the crossbar.

Sophomore Laura VanHoey (Rochester, Mich.) preserved the scoreless tie in the 21st minute. Ohio Northern's Jamie Eibel sent a through ball to Angie Pisut, but VanHoey came far off her line and blocked Pisut's shot just after it left her foot.

The Polar Bears took the lead in the 28th minute after earning the first corner kick of the game. Kaitlin Sanders sent the ball into the box, and 6-foot Polar Bear midfielder Chelsea Albert finished off the play with a header into the back of the Bishop net.

VanHoey kept the Bishops in the game, stopping Pisut again on a shot from near the top of the penalty area in the 56th minute.

Polar Bear keeper Lauren Roberts returned the favor, keeping the Bishops off the scoreboard by denying Howe on a shot off a corner kick just over a minute later.

Howe would have more success on the Bishops' next corner. With Ohio Wesleyan's 6-foot midfielder, freshman Belle Madison (Charlevoix, Mich.), naturally drawing attention from the Polar Bears — with Albert herself marking her, to boot — Howe found a gap in the defense and headed home the kick from junior defender Megan Goodrich (Seven Hills/Laurel School), tying the game at 1-1 with 12:43 left in regulation time.

Just over 2 minutes later, however, the momentum suddenly abandoned the Bishops.

Ohio Northern had earned a corner kick, but the Bishop defense broke up the play and sent the ball the other way, with Cozzone off on a breakaway. The Polar Bear defense ran Cozzone off the ball, and Cozzone was shaken up on the play and had to leave the game, joining senior forward Michelle Corbett (Dublin/Scioto), Ohio Wesleyan's leading scorer, who was already watching from the bench after a collision midway through the second half.

Ohio Northern took the lead as Kristin Reininger lined up for a restart some 40 yards from the Bishop goal. Reininger launched the ball into the penalty area, and the ball appeared to glance off the head of an Ohio Wesleyan defender and into the right side of the net with 8:18 left in regulation time.

The Polar Bears added some insurance shortly thereafter, winning the ball after the ensuing kickoff and advancing it up the right side. Erin Stapp turned the corner and centered the ball to Katie Kinkelaar, who finished off the play from right in front for a 3-1 Ohio Northern lead with 7:45 to go.

Two minutes later, Kinkelaar was off on a breakaway with a chance to add to the Ohio Northern lead. VanHoey came out to cut down the angle, dove and blocked Kinkelaar's shot — but VanHoey had strayed outside the penalty area, and was assessed a red card for blocking the shot with her hands. Sophomore Ella Massie-Schuh (New York, N.Y./Brearley School) came on to finish up in the Ohio Wesleyan goal.

Ohio Northern outshot Ohio Wesleyan, 19-17. VanHoey had 6 saves during her 84-plus minutes in the Bishop goal, and Massie-Schuh was not tested during the final 6 minutes.

For Ohio Northern, Kristen DeWees had 2 saves during the first half and Roberts had 3 saves during the second half.

Box Score