Eagles Fall to Bobcats, 3-0

Eagles midfielder Kelly DeNiro | Daniel Herlensky
Eagles midfielder Kelly DeNiro dribbles past a Bobcat on April 7, 2019. | Daniel Herlensky

Preseason is for smoothing out the wrinkles. Columbus Eagles FC fell 3-0 to Ohio University on Sunday in the club’s second preseason friendly of 2019. The match was the Eagles’ first against an NCAA Division 1 college.

Columbus is back in action Sunday, April 14, against Otterbein University. Tickets are on sale now for the 6 p.m. kickoff at Otterbein’s Memorial Stadium (135 Center St., Westerville 43081).

In Sunday’s match against the Bobcats, the Eagles stood strong in the first half – a huge Abby Weller save kept OU off the board and took the teams into halftime scoreless. In the second half, the Bobcats’ Abby Townsend scored in the 48th minute and the 61st minute, and Olivia Sensky’s long-range effort in the 90th put the match out of reach.

The best Eagles chances came in the second half, as Micaela Powers’s 25-yard rocket was tipped over the bar by Sydney Malham. The ensuing corner was nearly turned into a Columbus goal, as Malham saved Ashley Gogolin’s header on the goal line.

Two preseason matches remain for Columbus: Sunday’s matchup with Otterbein University, and April 26 at Asheville City SC. Both matches will be available for live-streaming, with details to come later this week.

The Eagles start their sixth WPSL season on the road at Ann Arbor on May 11 before the home league opener May 19 against Cincinnati Sirens FC. Columbus plays a 10-match league schedule between May, June, and July, and all home matches are included in season memberships, which are on sale now.