Aug. 18, 2005

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ATHENS, Ohio - A first-half goal by forward Sarah Merritt propelled the Ohio women's soccer team to a 1-0 exhibition victory over Marshall Thursday at Chessa Field. The sophomore from Tipp City, Ohio, headed in a cross from sophomore midfielder Callie Broomfield (Bay Village, Ohio) in the 16th minute to provide the lone goal of the match.

"Callie just looked right up at me and served in the perfect ball," said Merritt. "I didn't even have to really move my head. I just flicked it and it went into the right corner."

Merritt's header was one of five shots on goal by Ohio in the first half, compared to just two for the Thundering Herd. With senior sweeper Crystal Reed (Alexandria, Va.), a 2004 first-team all-conference selection, sitting out the second half, Marshall gained momentum after the intermission.

Senior goalkeeper Melissa Parra (Des Moines, Iowa) made eight saves, including six in the second half, to preserve the shutout for the Bobcats, though.

"We definitely came out stronger in the first half," said Ohio head coach Stacy Strauss. "In the second half, we failed to possess as well. Parra played very well, as did Erika Dietz (Yorktown, Va.), Merritt, and Danielle Young (Mason, Ohio) and Callie in the midfield."

Ohio's best scoring opportunity in the second half came when junior forward Tiffany Horvath (Strongsville, Ohio) slotted a pass to Merritt, who found herself one-on-one with the Marshall goalkeeper. This time, however, Merritt shot the ball wide to the left.

"The ball was played perfectly and Merritt timed her run perfectly," Strauss explained. "I think she had the keeper beat before she shot it. Maybe she could have taken another touch and tapped it in but it was still a great effort on her part to get into that position."

Freshman forward Courtney Mink (Mason, Ohio) led the Bobcats with three shots, all on goal, while Mollie Lee led the Thundering Herd attack with two shots on goal in three attempts.

"Any time you come away with a win, you have to feel good about that," said Strauss about the team's overall performance. "There are certainly things we can improve on. Some of our players were playing out of position but for the most part they did well."

On Sunday, Ohio will host Northern Kentucky at 1 p.m. in another exhibition match before opening the regular season next Friday night at Wright State.

Ohio's regular-season home opener will be Aug. 28 with a 1 p.m. match against Dayton. All Bobcat home soccer matches at Chessa Field are free and open to the public.