Flashes Open MAC Play at Miami and Ball State
9/20/2007 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Winners of four of its last five games, Kent State will begin Mid-American Conference play this weekend at Miami and Ball State. The Golden Flashes (4-3) battle the RedHawks (3-4) Saturday (Sept. 22) at Miami Turf Field in Oxford before continuing their westward trip Sunday (Sept. 23) to Muncie to face the Cardinals (2-6) at BSU Turf Field.
• The Golden Flashes extended their winning streak to four games last weekend with a 4-1 road victory over Northwestern. KSU improved to 2-0 vs. Big Ten opponents this season.
• Kent State's winning streak came to end at the hands of ninth-ranked American, who improved to 8-0.
• Ball State returned 12 letterwinners and seven starters from a team that finished 6-4 in MAC play in 2006. This season, the Cardinals have been shut out three times, but recently snapped a six-game losing skid Tuesday, with a 2-1 victory over Ohio State. Ball State has been outscored 16-5 in the second half this season.
• Sophomore Brooke MacGillivary and junior Casey Hunsicker are tied for the team lead with four goals each. Goalkeeper Tiffany Shifflett leads MAC with 85 saves on the year.
• The Cardinals and Flashes split the regular season series last year with each team winning at home. Ball State's win in Muncie last season snapped a five-game losing skid against the Flashes.
• Since the beginning of the 2006 season, KSU is 0-12 when allowing three or more goals in a game and 8-1 when scoring three or more times in a contest.
• Miami swept the season series with Kent State in 2006 with a 7-4 win in Kent and a 2-1 victory in Oxford. Taylor Florence scored twice at Miami Turf Field, while Alyssa Nye racked up three goals in Kent.
• Nye (2 goals, 3 assists) and Florence (2g, 2a) currently rank second and third on the team in points behind junior Danielle Gaynor (3g, 2a).
• Miami edged Ball State 3-2 last Saturday in Muncie. The RedHawks earned a penalty corner with no time left in regulation leading to Megan McMurtry's game winner with a shot off of a rebound.
PLAYER NOTES
• Senior forward Natalie Barrett did not play in either of last weekend's games due to an injury. Barrett has scored seven goals in her last seven games played, dating back to the 2006 MAC Tournament.
• Freshman Rachel Miller leads the Flashes with 12 points (4 goals, 4 assists) on the year after collecting a goal and two assits in the victory at Northwestern. Miller was named Mid-American Conference Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 4 after helping KSU finish 2-0 at the Temple Invitational with a goal and two assists.
• KSU has gone 4-1 since Charlotte Muller was moved from the backfield to the midfield following the season's opening weekend. The two-time All-MAC First Team member racked up seven goals and six assists in 2006 including a goal in each game against Ball State last season.
• Senior goalkeeper Kara Copeland allowed just two goals during KSU's four-game winning streak. Copeland was named Kent State Athlete of the Week on Sept. 10, after posting her second shutout in three games. She ranks second in the MAC in both shutouts (2) and goals against average (1.56).
• Freshman forward Nicole Leach scored her second goal of the season at Northwestern, giving her a goal or an assist three consecutive games.
• Laurie Wilkins and Libby Lame each scored their first goals of the season at Northwestern.
Head Coach Kathleen Schanne
On Beginning Conference Play:
"We feel prepared to open MAC play,'" Schanne said. "We did a nice job as a team in non-conference play which has really prepared us for this weekend. Every game's a challenge. There's no guarantees."
On Improving the Team's Play:
"We need to execute our set plays inside the attacking 25 beginning with free hits into the circle," Schanne said. "The important thing for us right now is to do the ordinary things extraordinarily well."
On Conference Opponents:
"You know their style of play and their key players, but they're a new team this year just like we are," Schanne added. "We all make adjustments as the year goes on."
| Complete Notes in PDF |
