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Nov. 16, 2001
MORGANTOWN, W.Va.-Miami University's women's soccer team continued its dream season Friday night, stunning No. 19 West Virginia University, 1-0, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The win was Miami's first in the NCAA Tournament and set up a second-round match versus the University of Dayton.
Battling against a high-powered offense that featured two-time Big East Offensive Player of the Year Katie Barnes, Miami put up a valiant defensive effort while earning a 1-0 first-half lead. Danielle Berkemeier (Fairfield, Ohio/Fairfield) put Miami on the scoreboard at 25:21 when she was tackled from behind in the penalty box on a break-away that was set up by a Danielle Altiero (Upper Arlington, Ohio/Upper Arlington) pass. Berkemeier stuck the ensuing penalty kick into the far corner of the net and past WVU goalkeeper Melissa Haire for her sixth goal in the past four matches.
West Virginia kept the heat on Miami throughout the remainder of the first frame, but Miami netminder Katie Karlander (Carmel, Ind./Syracuse) rose to the occasion, making six saves. The Mountaineers held an impressive 14-3 advantage in shots during the half, as Miami put just two shots on net.
Miami bent but refused to break in the second half, weathering a total of 15 second-half Mountaineer shots and nine corner kicks. Despite being outshot 29-6, Miami gave up just two shots on goal, as Karlander finished the night with eight saves in a gritty effort.
"That second half was the longest half of my life," head coach Bobby Kramig said. "I thought we played really well in the first half, but we sat back a lot more than I wanted us to in the second half. It wasn't the way we like to play, but it was a courageous effort by our team. In the NCAA Tournament, you do what you have to do to win."
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Berkemeier continued a remarkable postseason run, contributing her sixth postseason goal and third game-winning goal in four postseason matches. For her career, Berkemeier has netted 11 postseason goals, including seven game-winners.
"When we saw West Virginia practicing last night and realized what we were up against, I think there was a lot of tension," Berkemeier said. "That was gone tonight. We knew what we had to do, and we just wanted it more. It's that simple."
Karlander, who earned her seventh complete-game shutout of the season, became just the second goalkeeper this season to blank the Mountaineers potent offensive attack.
Miami, which was making its second NCAA Tournament appearance, advanced its record to 15-6-1, while West Virginia dropped to 15-5-0. Miami and Dayton kick off at 1 p.m. Sunday in the first meeting between the schools since 1997. Miami's win was its first versus a nationally\ranked opponent.
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