Bishops drop below .500 in loss against Ohio Northern

Philippe Chauveau

Transcript Reporter

As the Battling Bishops and the Ohio Northern Polar Bears took the field at the Jay Martin Soccer Complex Saturday night, both teams were looking to improve their current .500 records.

Ohio Northern’s offense, led by senior forward Sandra Thorarensen’s hat-trick, proved successful in beating the Bishops.

Looking to bounce back from a loss on Wednesday, the Bishops were looking forward to a victory in this game. From the first whistle however, ONU controlled the game, and in the first 15 minutes they racked up six shots and a corner.

Most of the offensive rhythm came from Junior forwards Kristina Klusek and Sami Atkinson, but Thorarensen would take over later in the game.

With 30 minutes in the clock, OWU recorded their first shot. Junior forward Lindsay Reed and junior midfielder Elizabeth D’Amelio hit shots on frame and the ONU goalie had to make the saves. Besides that rare offensive moment, the Bishops just kept trying to defend themselves against the well-balanced Polar Bear attack.

ONU’s insistence finally paid off, as a shot by Atkinson was deflected by senior goalkeeper Hannah Zacharias, only to be found by a flashing Thorarensen. It was her first goal of the night.

OWU had a couple of more shots with sophomore midfielder Danielle Kaylor, but to no avail. Seven minutes later, the Polar Bears scored again. It was Thorarensen’s second goal, as she followed through on a low cross from the right side.

WIth 15 minutes left in the first half, the Bishops had failed to connect with their forwards, and the defense was getting tired of chasing the tricky ONU attackers around.

Zacharias made another save before the end of the period, and a couple others went wide. The Polar Bears outshot the Bishops by 14 at the half, and the score was 2 – 0.

Less than five minutes into the first half, the Polar Bears scored their third goal.

Sophomore midfielder Claire shored the Bishops only goal of the game, leaving the score 3-1.

With eight minutes left on the clock, Thorarensen completed her hat-trick by once again being in prime position in the box. She finished off another low cross, and Ohio Northern was up 4-1.

Despite some Bishop pressure in the final minutes of the game, ONU left Delaware with a win.