Bobcats vs Huskies and Broncos this weekend

by Lonnie McMillan
Staff Writer

Two victories this weekend likely would wrap up a share of the regular-season Mid-American Conference championship for the Ohio soccer team.

Ohio (8-7, 7-2 MAC), along with Central Michigan (8-2) and Miami (7-2), has only two losses in conference play.

The Bobcats face off against the Northern Illinois Huskies today and the Western Michigan Broncos Sunday.

Northern Illinois (3-10-1, 3-7) came up with two victories in its last three games after the Huskies lost five in a row.

Ohio coach Stacy Strauss said she expects the Huskies to continue its persistent play in hopes of making the MAC Tournament.

"I expect they’ll come at us," she said. "They’re battling to get into our conference tournament, so they desperately need a win. Those are always tough teams."

The Bobcats handled the Huskies with ease in 2000, defeating them 7-2.

Western Michigan (8-7, 6-4) appears to be the bigger challenge, though its play has been inconsistent. The Broncos knocked off Central Michigan earlier in the season, only to follow with a loss to Northern Illinois.

"Western can give you trouble," back Carolyn Valade said. "They can be good or bad on any given day."

Forward Kersten Conklin, who has scored six goals and added four assists in the season, leads the Broncos.

Strauss said Ohio is ready for the Broncos, a team that is jockeying for a spot in the tournament.

"Western has had some good results," she said. "They’re capable of giving us a very good game. We need to be fresh and ready to go to battle with them."

The Bobcats still have one MAC game left after this weekend, but they will be facing last place Akron, who has not won a conference game this season.

Ohio midfielder Rachael Najjar said the team is motivated for the weekend challenge.

"We’re fighting for the first spot in the MAC and we really want to host (in the tournament), so these are crucial games we need to win to keep us in the top spot," she said.

The MAC Tournament, which begins Nov. 6, uses the home field of the higher seed for each game through the tournament's progression.

Ohio plays at 12:30 p.m. today at Huskie Soccer Field in Dekalb, Ill. The Bobcats continue the road trip at noon Sunday at the WMU Soccer Complex in Kalamazoo, Mich.