ATHENS, Ohio – The Navy women's soccer team saw its run of unbeaten action to start the 2021 season come to an end on Thursday afternoon with a 1-0 loss on the road at Ohio University. Coming into the contest at Chessa Field with a 3-0-1 record the Mids (3-1-1) were felled by a Bobcats (3-0) club that netted a late first half goal and recorded 18 shots in the game, including nine on goal. Navy's goalkeeper Mattie Gallagher (So., Gilbertsville, Pa.) kept the visitors in the match as she turned away eight Ohio shots on goal to tie her single-game career-high.
 
"That was a frustrating game," remarked head coach Carin Gabarra. "We made too many small mistakes and had subpar performances as individuals and a group. We were too stagnant in many parts of the game and lacked cohesiveness. A credit to Ohio, they won more individual battles and had more quality scoring looks than we did. Mattie stepped up big and gave us a chance to come back. Once we started getting our looks it was too late. Like most non-conference games, we'll reflect on today's performance to get better moving forward."
 
The action was fairly even through a good portion of the first half as each team moved the ball throughout the field and recorded numerous shots, but only three of those 11 combined shots found their way on goal. Gallagher stopped Ohio's first shot on goal in the 28th minute, though the Mids' keeper was unable to prevent the Bobcats' second shot from crossing the goal line as Daelynn Rosser's attempt went in for the game's first score at 38:47.
 
Down 1-0, Katie Herrmann (So., Charlotte, N.C.) set her sights on drawing Navy even as in a six-second span of play she ripped a shot towards Ohio's goal only to have a defender block her attempt before recovering the loose ball and breaking through for a clean look at the goal. Unfortunately for the Mids' sophomore midfielder, the Bobcats' goalkeeper Sam Wexell lept off her line and pushed Herrmann's shot that had eyes for the upper-90 over the crossbar.
 
Coming out in the second half, the Mids' quest for the game-tying goal continued as Jenna Daunt (So., Haymarket, Va.) squared up a shot less than a minute into the new period, though it was deflected wide of the goal to set up a subsequent corner kick.
 
Just as Navy was looking for its first goal of the contest, Ohio was looking for its second tally and their attempts came in quick succession with a shot off the crossbar in the 48th minute and a low shot on goal in the 52nd. Gallagher played a vital role in keeping the Mids' within one as she dove to her left to push Madison Clayton's shot away from the net.
 
The fast-paced end-to-end action kept up as Gallagher and her counterpart Wexell were tested four combined times over the ensuing nine minutes as Daunt got a hold of a shot on goal for the Mids versus Wexell in the 54th minute before the Bobcats took aim on Gallagher in the 55th, 58th and 61st minutes of play.
 
The sophomore goalkeeper continued to deny Ohio's shots on goals as the hosts fired on target two more times before the 70th minute.
 
With the game still at a one-goal margin, Navy held possession on Ohio's half of the field for the majority of the next 15 minutes and were able to register four shots and four corner kicks during this span of play, though the score stayed 1-0 in favor of the Bobcats.
 
The Mids' final gasp for a game-tying goal saw a frantic last 60 seconds as Rylee Rives (Fr., Arlington, Texas) took a shot and Carolyn Mang (Sr., Forest Hill, Md.) went back-to-back with a pair of shots within 15 seconds of each other; the last shot testing Wexell in goal.
 
In the 1-0 loss, Navy was outshot by Ohio, 18-13. The Bobcats also held a 9-3 advantage in shots on goal. The Mids' late game pressure resulted in the club finishing with a 9-2 edge in corner kicks.
 
Navy will wrap up its two-game series in Ohio with a Sunday afternoon tilt at Ohio State University. First touch between the Mids and Buckeyes is set for 12 p.m. in Columbus.