ATHENS, Ohio -- The Ohio University field hockey and soccer teams won Mid-American Conference championships during the weekend.
The field hockey team won the MAC tournament championship by defeating Kent State 3-2 on Sunday at Louisville's Trager Stadium. With the victory, the Bobcats earned their first bid to the NCAA tournament.
Ohio broke a 2-2 tie when Lauren Mazziotto scored the game-winning goal off an assist from Andrea Voros with 6:31 remaining. The win gave the Bobcats, now 16-4 overall, their second-ever MAC title and the first since 1981.
Voros finished the game with a goal and two assists, while Kristin Auge and Lauren Mazziotto each recorded a goal and an assist. Ohio goalkeeper Tara Elliott recorded six saves for the Bobcats.
The Bobcats defeated Ball State in overtime on Saturday, 1-0, to advance to the title game.
Mazziotto, Ali Johnstone, Jenn Watt and Brea Webster were named to the 2001 MAC All-Tournament Team. Johnstone received the MAC Player of the Year Award and first-team All-MAC honors, while Mazziotto and Webster also made the first-team. Bobcats Liz Holtzman, Andrea Voros and Tara Elliott were named to the All-MAC second team.
The Bobcats will find out when, whom and where they play on Tuesday night when the NCAA tournament pairings are announced.
"Kent was ranked 12th in the nation and we definitely wanted to beat them to avenge last year's loss to them in the MAC championship game," said Ohio University coach Shelly Morris. "When I saw the determination in my players' faces at halftime, I knew we weren't going to lose. We just worked together and found a way to win."
The Ohio University soccer team won its second MAC regular-season title when Nicki Pendleton broke the scoreless tie with an unassisted goal in the 53rd minute to give the Bobcats a 1-0 win over Akron. Ohio University goalkeeper Vanessa Dennis recorded her fourth shutout of the season and 18th of her career by saving five shots. The Bobcats out shot the Zips 13 to 10.
The Bobcats finished the season with an 11-8 overall record and a 10-2-0 mark in the MAC, edging out Eastern Michigan (9-3-0) and Miami (8-3-1) for the conference title.
Ohio is the top seed in the eight-team MAC tournament and hosts Ball State in the quarterfinals at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 6, at Shafer Street Field in Athens. If the Bobcats win, they will host the MAC semifinals and championship game on Friday, Nov. 9, and Sunday, Nov. 11, at Shafer Street Field.
