The match marked the commencement of Ohio’s ambitions to return to the Mid-American Conference, or MAC, tournament after a disappointing finish to the 2022 season, which saw Ohio defeated by rival Miami of Ohio 1-0 in the tournament's opening round.
The 2023 MAC Soccer Preseason Poll picked Ohio to finish seventh in the conference. Ohio finished fourth in the MAC in 2022, and second in 2021, so coaches around the MAC expect a step backward from the Bobcats in 2023.
However, Ohio returns 19 players from its 2022 squad; Ohio coach Aaron Rodgers is also entering his 11th season with the team. Ohio’s veteran leadership is a critical factor which can lead to Ohio returning to the MAC tournament and the upper echelon of the MAC standings.
Among the 19 returning players to Ohio’s squad are a handful of rising seniors who earned starting roles in 2022 and are vital to ensuring stability within the starting eleven this season. Midfielder Carsyn Prigge returns after starting all 19 games last season. Midfielder Haley Miller and Defender Ella Bianco started in nearly all of Ohio’s 19 games. Forward Shea Robertson started all 19 matches and is the only returning forward who started ten or more games last season.
The presence of veteran players, such as Prigge, Miller, Bianco, and Robertson, is vital to stabilizing an Ohio roster with a significant addition of young talent joining the fray.
Ohio is a team that contains more underclassmen than upperclassmen, eight of whom are true freshmen. The infusion of young talent will allow Ohio to approach this season with different strategies that can utilize the strengths of its young core.
Some underclassmen who could see increased opportunities this season are forward Scout Murray, midfielder Eve Berish, and goalkeeper Celeste Sloma among others. These three players received chances to play as freshmen in 2022 and showed impressive flashes in limited action.
The potential growth of players such as Murray, Berish, and Sloma would strengthen the depth of this Ohio team, which also has many exciting freshmen coming into the mix.
Some of the freshman talent that Rodgers highlighted on the team’s Twitter page this offseason included forwards Anna Burchett and Jamison Brooker, midfielder Rylee Mensel, defender Ellie Greenwell, and goalkeeper Maria Copfer. Rodgers spoke highly of these players and also discussed their capabilities that could make them key contributors early on in their careers at Ohio.
Although the MAC Soccer Preseason Poll ranks the team seventh out of 12, Ohio possesses the important veteran leadership needed to make a run in the MAC tournament.