Field Hockey Heads To Louisville and Miami
9/30/2004 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
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The Matchups
The Kent State field hockey team (3-5, 1-0 MAC) will conclude its six-game road stretch when it takes on Louisville and Miami this weekend. The Flashes will face the Cardinals (3-6, 1-1) at 3 p.m. Friday in Louisville before heading up to Oxford, Ohio to face the RedHawks (4-5, 0-2) at 1 p.m. Saturday afternoon.Battle of Top Teams
The matchup with Louisville will be the first of two pivotal matches with the Cardinals as Kent State and Louisville both received the same number of votes to win the MAC regular season championship. Louisville was tabbed the favorite to win the MAC tournament, which will be held in Muncie, Ind. Nov. 4-6.Markwart Honored
Linz Markwart was named this weeks Mid-American Conference Defensive Player of the Week for her performance at Ohio Sunday. The honor is the first of her career and the second for Kent State this season.Markwart recorded her second shutout of the season in a 2-0 win at Ohio University Sunday in Athens. Markwart made seven saves on the day, all in the second half as Kent State snapped a four-game losing skid and improved to 1-0 in the conference. Markwart and the Kent State defense held Ohio scoreless despite 10 second half penalty corners by the Bobcats.
Flashes Topple Bobcats
Liz Fettrow scored two second half goals and goalkeeper Linz Markwart recorded her second shutout of the season as Kent State defeated Ohio, 2-0, in the Mid-American Conference opener for both teams Sunday in Athens.The win snapped a four-game losing skid for the Flashes and avenged a 1-0 loss to Ohio last season in the MAC tournament semifinals.
Markwart, who has played every minute in goal this season for the Flashes, played all 70 minutes, recording seven saves in the process. Markwart got excellent help from her defense as Ohio had 12 penalty corners on the afternoon, but were unable to score on the stingy Kent State backfield.
After a scoreless first half, Kent State scored the games first goal in the 47th minute when Fettrow scored her first goal of the season, an unassisted goal, to put Kent State up 1-0. Less than four minutes later, Fettrow found the back of the net a second time off a penalty corner. Fettrow scored off a deflection from teammate Kate McGowan who was credited with an assist on the play.
Kent State showered Ohio goalkeeper Jennifer Cote with 19 shots, 13 of those on goal.
A Glance At The Flashes
The Golden Flashes currently sit at 3-5 overall and 1-0 in the MAC with a 2-0 win at Ohio University last weekend. Kent State finished the non-conference season with victories over James Madison and Dartmouth and losses to No. 19 Northwestern*, Ohio State, No. 4 Duke*, No. 1 Michigan State* and No. 5 Wake Forest*. (*rankings at time of competition)True freshman Kate McGowan wasted little time getting acclimated to the college game as she scored two goals in her first game vs. JMU and three in the win over Dartmouth. She leads Kent State in nearly every offensive category with seven goals and two assists for 16 points. She also has team-best marks with 46 shots, 23 of those on goal.
Liz Fettrow is second on the team in scoring after notching KSUs two goals in the win at Ohio Sept. 26. Fettrow has two goals and a team-best three assists for seven points. Senior Lauren Grandinetti is right behind Fettrow with two goals and an assist for five points.
Berber Rischen, a 2003 First Team All-MAC selection, is off to a somewhat slow start compared to last season, but is still a threat each time she has the ball and has one goal and two assists to her credit.
Linz Markwart, the MAC Defensive Player of the Week, has played every minute in goal, recording 56 saves and two shutouts.
Freshman Phenom
Kent State freshman forward Kate McGowan has burst onto the scene in 2004, leading the Golden Flashes with seven goals in eight games. In the season-opening win over James Madison Aug. 28, the Ireland native scored two goals and came back two games later to score three goals in the win over Dartmouth Sept 4. She then tallied KSUs lone goal in the 3-1 loss to Ohio State Sept. 7 before scoring her seventh goal in the 2-4 loss to No. 5 Wake Forest. Through seven games, McGowan leads the Flashes in goals (7), points (16), shots (46) and shots-on-goal (23) among others. She also is tied for second on the team with two goals.Flashes Among MAC Leaders
Several Golden Flashes are among the MAC leaders in several statistical categories through statistics released Sept. 27 by the MAC office.Kate McGowan ranks first in the MAC in shots (46), points (16), points per game (2.00), goals (7), goals per game (0.88), shots per game (5.75) and is second in game-winning goals (2). Sophomore Liz Fettrow is tied for fourth in the MAC in assists (3), fifth in assists per game (0.38), 10th in points per game (0.88) and goals (2). Senior Lauren Grandinetti also is tied for 10th with two goals. Sophomore Berber Rischen is tied for ninth with two assists and is tenth with 19 shots. Goalkeeper Linz Markwart is second in the MAC with two shutouts and third in saves (56).
As a team, Kent State is second in goals (14), assists (11) and points (39).
Scouting Louisville
Louisville is 3-7 and 1-1 in the Mid-American Conference before tomorrows tilt with co-preseason MAC favorite Kent State. Expected to be one of the dominant forces in the MAC, the Cardinals are led by Jessica Javelet, who has a team-leading 14 points on six goals and two assists. Coming into the week she ranked second in the MAC with 1.44 points per game, behind Kent States Kate McGowan, who is averaging 2.0. Suzanne Irwin is second on the team with 11 points on five goals and one assist. In goal for the Cardinals are the duo of Jenna Halulko and Marie-Claire Heller, who have each played in six games. Halulko is 1-4 with a 1.76 goals against average while Heller has a slightly better record at 2-3 with a 2.33 goals against average. Louisville is coached by Pam Bustin who is in her 7th year at Louisville.Kent State is 23-5 in the all-time series with the Cardinals. Despite their stellar record against Louisville, the Golden Flashes have struggled recently dropping three of their last four to the Cardinals. Last season the Cardinals won their first Mid-American Conference (MAC) Championship.
Scouting Miami
Miami is 4-5 and 0-2 in the Mid-American Conference as of Sept. 30. Miami has a very balanced attack as two players have three goals and three have two goals to account for 12 of the teams 13 tallies. Danielle Perrecone is the leading scorer for the RedHawks with nine points on three goals and three assists. Meredith Lee is second with seven points on three goals and one assist. In goal for the RedHawks is Kerri Orr, who is 4-5 with three shutouts, a goals against average of 1.83 and a save percentage of .813. Miami is coached by Jill Reeve, who in her first year with Miami is 4-5. Assistant coach Kathleen Schanne was a graduate assistant at Kent State during the 2000 and 2001 seasons, helping lead the Golden Flashes to two NCAA tournament appearances.Kent State is 30-22-2 in the all-time series with the RedHawks. The Golden Flashes under Kerry DeVries have never lost to Miami during her eight year tenure as she has amassed a record of 16-0 versus the RedHawks.
Flashes Conclude Tough Non-Conference Schedule
The Golden Flashes arguably had one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the country. The Golden Flashes have played five teams ranked or receiving votes in the latest STX/NFHCA Top 20 Coaches Poll. Kent State already has faced No. 2 Wake Forest, No. 4 Michigan State and No. 5 Duke in addition to Northwestern (40 votes) and Ohio State (3).Kent State Shares Top Spot In Preseason Poll
Kent State has been tabbed by the leagues head coaches to win the Mid-American Conference field hockey regular season championship with the University of Louisville. Both the Golden Flashes and the Cardinals received the same number of votes to win the conference. Louisville was selected to repeat as MAC tournament champions.Next Game
Kent State will return home for the first time in 30 days as they play host to Ball State at Dix Stadium Friday, Oct. 8 at 2 p.m. Kent State will then welcome Central Michigan the following day at 1 p.m.
