 |
 |
|
Aug. 28, 2001
Miami Field Hockey Game Notes: Week 2
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
THIS WEEKEND'S CONTESTS: Miami (1-0, 0-0 MAC) enters this weekend's games following a 2-1 road victory over Indiana on Sunday afternoon. The season-opening victory marks the first time since the 1998 season when Miami has won its inaugural contest.
Lehigh (0-1, 0-0 Patriot League) opened its campaign on Wednesday with a loss to Temple, 2-1. Scoring the Mountain Hawks only goal was senior Jenny Lehman. Last season, the Mountain Hawks finished 7-10 overall and 1-5 in the Patriot League.
After winning its first contest against Albany on Wednesday night, 4-0, Syracuse (1-0, 0-0 BIG EAST) hosts Miami on Sunday afternoon. All four of SU's goals versus Albany were scored in the second half. The Orangewomen finished last season with a 12-8 record.
MIAMI'S LAST TIME OUT: The Miami University field hockey team defeated Indiana 2-1 to launch the 2001 campaign with a victory. Tallying the game-winning goal for the RedHawks was sophomore Angie Snedden (Ontario, Canada) off a pass from senior Beth Young (Toledo, Ohio/Maumee Valley C.D.).
"There were some tense moments during the game this afternoon," said coach Lil Fesperman. "We lost our composure a couple of times but really pulled through as a team when push came to shove. At one point I noticed as many as five freshmen on the field."
The RedHawks were the first to get on the scoreboard when sophomore Shallen McClain (Ann Arbor, Mich./Huron) shot the ball past Indiana's goalkeeper at the 33:04. Miami's first goal of the 2001 season was also McClain's first collegiate goal. Junior Sarah Clarke (Bridgewater, Mass./West Bridgewater) was credited with the assist on the goal.
Miami increased its lead over the Hoosiers when Snedden, a 2000 second-team all-MAC selection, scored her first goal of the season and 14th career goal only 1:13 into the second stanza. Fellow all-MAC selection, Young, registered her first assist of the season on the eventual game-winning goal.
The Hoosiers managed to sneak one goal by the Redhawks goalkeeper, senior Marie Vaughn (Davis, Calif./Davis), midway through the second period. Vaughn made four saves in the contest and lost the shutout when Indiana's Kayla Bashore scored with 15:15 remaining in the game.
"We did some things today that I haven't seen yet in practice," commented Fesperman. "Our passing combinations were solid and it was good to see that we were prepared for a tense game situation this early in the season."
LAST MEETING VERSUS SYRACUSE: The RedHawks last played the Orangewomen on September 15, 1996, at Wake Forest. Miami managed to squeak out the victory in a close contest, 1-0. The win evened the series 1-1 between the two schools.
COACH FESPERMAN CLIMBING THE CHARTS: Fesperman is in her 25th year as the head coach of the RedHawks. Through the years, she has compiled a 227-209-17 record.
Fesperman has produced 16 regional all-Americans and 63 all-Mid-American Conference selections. She guided Miami to the first MAC Championship in 1981 and was selected MAC Coach of the Year the same year.
Fesperman graduated cum laude from Appalachian State University with a bachelor's degree in health and physical education. She was a three-year member of the ASU field hockey team and was voted Most Valuable Player her senior year.
REDHAWKS IN ROAD OPENERS: Miami has an all-time record 7-15-3 (.340) in road-opening games. This season the RedHawks were victorious in their road-opener versus Indiana in Bloomington, Ind., 2-1.
REDHAWKS IN SEASON OPENERS: In their season-opener versus Indiana on August 26, the RedHawks improved their all-time season-opener record to 13-11-1 with a 2-1 victory. This victory ended a two-year streak for Miami of losing its season-opener, both previous losses to Ohio State in 1999 and 2000.
RETURNING ALL-LEAGUE REDHAWKS: Senior Beth Young and sophomore Angie Snedden return in 2001 as the only all-league performers for Miami from last season. For the second consecutive season, Young was named to the 2001 all-MAC second-team after scoring six goals and tallying eight hand-outs. She finished the season as the second-leading scorer for Miami with 20 points. Joining Young on the all-MAC second-team was Snedden who led the RedHawks with 13 goals and two assists. She led the squad with 28 points and topped the season off with a hat trick versus Central Michigan in the MAC Tourney and was named to the all-tournament team for her efforts. The only all-league performer lost from last season is 2001 graduate, Kari Roche. Roche tied Young with 20 points after scoring seven times and recording six assists.
RISING TO THE TOP: Senior goalkeeper Marie Vaughn continued her ascent up the top-10 for career shutouts at Miami last season. She is now in a tie for sixth place with nine shutouts heading into her final season with the Red and White.
RECORD WATCH: Senior Beth Young currently has 20 career goals at Miami after three years. She needs only one more goal to move into the top-ten for career goals at Miami. If she continues to score at her current pace, she is projected to finish her career at Miami with 27 goals in a tie for sixth on the all-time charts. Young is only two points away from moving into the top-ten all-time at Miami for career points with 52. She currently has 50 career points after registering an assist in Miami's contest at Indiana on Aug. 26.
YOUNG, PREIKSZAS AND NELSON TAKE ON CAPTAIN DUTIES IN 2001: Seniors Karen Preikszas (Medfield, Mass./Medfield) and Beth Young, and junior Julie Nelson (Bethesda, Md./Bethesda Chevy Chase) will serve as captains for the 2001 season. Young is serving her second stint as a team captain, co-captain in 2000 with Kari Roche, while Preikszas and Nelson are captaining the RedHawks for the first time in their careers.
SNEDDEN'S 28 POINTS ONE OF MIAMI'S BEST: Last season as a freshman, Angie Snedden registered one of the strongest seasons in Miami field hockey history. Her 13 goals and two assists gave her 28 points, good enough to tie for ninth on the Miami top-ten for points in a single-season. The season record for points is held by Kathy Kiernan `85 who registered 57 points in 1983.
FIVE NAMED TO THE NFHCA NATIONAL ACADEMIC SQUAD: Seniors Cheryl Iozzi, Karen Preikszas, and Beth Young and sophomores Kate Carmody (St. Louis, Mo./Villa Duchesne) and Lauren Plapp (Overland Park, Kan./The Barstow School) were named to the academic squad in late February, 2001. The NFHCA National Academic Squad recognizes student-athletes who excel both on the field and in the classroom. To be considered for the squad, a player must earn a varsity letter and achieve at least a 3.0 grade point average.
SNEDDEN COMPETES IN 2001 CANADIAN GAMES: Coach Fesperman had to let her all-MAC peformer Snedden go during preseason practices to compete in the 2001 Canadian Games, held August 13-17. Snedden, who hails from Ontario, competed for the Ontario National Team and helped her squad to a silver medal finish. A fierce competitor, Snedden tallied two goals for her team including one in their semifinal victory over Saskatchewan, 4-1. Her other goal was in a 2-1 victory over Alberta.
FROM SEA TO SHINING SEA: Miami's field hockey team features athletes from all over the country, spanning from Massachusetts to California. Currently, the RedHawks come from nine different states and two different countries.
SLATTERY AND RODELO TO REDSHIRT: Senior Lisa Rodelo (Escondido, Calif./San Pasqual) and sophomore Lauren Slattery (St. Louis, Mo./Cor Jesu Academy) will sit out this campaign as medical redshirts. A goalkeeper for the RedHawks, Rodelo had back surgery over the summer and will save her eligibility for next season. Slattery had reconstructive knee surgery during the offseason which is why she will not play in 2001.
FRESH FACES AND STICKS: Eight RedHawks on this year's squad are in their first season of varsity field hockey, many of whom will be seeing significant playing time.
"This year's freshmen class comes from a broad range of successful high school programs," said Fesperman. "I expect to see several of them make an impact on this year's squad."
The freshmen include Sara Bielek (Mentor, Ohio/The Andrews School), Diane Collias (River Forest, Ill./Oak Park & River Forest), Maya Gilbert (Kent, Ohio/Kent Roosevelt), Meredith Lee (San Jose, Calif./Lynbrook), Gillian Lindsay (Cleveland Heights, Ohio/Cleveland Heights), Katie Moran (St. Louis, Mo./Nerinx Hall), Kerri Orr (San Diego, Calif./Serra) and Megan Weigand (Encinitas, Calif./LaCosta Canyon).
|
|
||
| MuRedHawks.com WEB | ||
