Sept. 25, 2002

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REDHAWKS FACE BIG HOMESTAND: With five consecutive shutouts and a 506 minute scoreless streak in limbo, the Ohio University Bobcats and the University at Buffalo enter Oxford to face the red-hot RedHawks.

The Bobcats, 2001 Mid-American Conference champions, are one of only three schools that are still undefeated in the MAC. Ohio leads the conference in all six of the MAC team offensive categories. Junior forward Christel Scheiring paces the conference with 10 goals and 21 points. The Bobcats stand at 5-1-1 and 2-0-1 in the MAC after Sunday's 1-1 tie in Athens against Western Michigan. Ohio leads the all-time series 4-3, including a 2-0 shutout of the RedHawks in Athens last year.

Buffalo comes to Miami Soccer Field with a record that features four ties in its eight games played. 2001 first-team all-MAC selection Devon Russell and Erin McGarry lead the team with two goals each. The Bulls who are 2-2-4 overall and 2-1-1 in the MAC, return all but one player from last year's squad that finished 9-9 overall and 7-5 in the MAC. The Red and White leads the series 4-0-1, including four straight victories.

A LOOK BACK: The RedHawks opened their weekend by earning their fourth consecutive shutout in a 3-0 win over Bowling Green on Friday at a wet Cochrane Field.

Miami got on the board at the 11:17 mark when senior Andrea Cunningham crossed the ball from the far right side to Danielle Berkemeier, whose one-touch shot deflected off Bowling Green senior goalkeeper Erika Flanders into the goal for the game winner.

The RedHawks struck again with a nearly identical play as the clock read 19:59. Berkemeier placed the ball in the back of the net on a one-touch shot off a cross from the right side by sophomore Ashley Swinehart .

Sophomore Megan Shapiro scored the last goal for Miami in the second half when she took the ball down the wet field on a break-away to convert her first goal of the season in the 66th minute.

On Sunday, Cunningham scored two goals for the Red and White at Lee Jackson Field in Akron, Ohio, for its fifth consecutive shutout in a 4-0 win over Akron.

Berkemeier finished a cross that Swinehart distributred from the right side with the clock reading 14:37 to score the game-winner for the RedHawks.

Less than three minutes later, senior Shaedyn Cousino added another goal for Miami when she was brought down inside the penalty box. Cousino finished the play by placing the ball to the right of Akron goalkeeper Meghan McCarthy for the penalty kick goal.

Cunningham sealed the victory for the RedHawks in the second half with two goals. Sophomore Laura Freel served the ball into Cunningham through traffic for Cunningham's first goal of the contest in the 54th minute.

Cunningham scored her second goal less than two minutes after her first. Swinehart tallied another assist in the contest when her cross from the endline was booted in by Cunningham.

KEEPING THE STREAK ALIVE: Miami has continued its shutout and scoreless streak, despite the loss of senior goalkeeper Katie Karlander. The Miami 'keepers have run their streak to five consecutive shutous and held their opponents scoreless for 506 consecutive minutes of play

Freshman Leigh Terry collected the first collegiate shutout and first collegiate victory of her young career in a 3-0 victory over Bowling Green on Friday. Terry saved one shot as the RedHawk defense limited the Falcons to only two shots in the second half and six shots total.

Terry and junior Emily Smith combined for the RedHawks fifth straight shutout when they blanked Akron, 4-0. Terry made two saves in her 78 minutes of play.

Karlander saved four shots against Toledo in Miami's 2002 MAC opener Sept. 13 to earn a 2-0 shutout. She followed that up by saving six shots against Kent State on Sept. 15 to earn her third consecutive shutout in a 2-0 victory. Karlander blanked Georgia Southern on Sept. 8 to start the string of shutouts.

The 506 minutes of scoreless play breaks a Miami record that dates back to the RedHawks' 2000 MAC Tournament Championship run in which they had 317 scoreless minutes in victories over Ohio, Buffalo, and Bowling Green in double overtime.

QUICK START: For the first time in school history, the RedHawks are undefeated in the MAC after four games. Miami had a chance to go 4-0 in the MAC last year until it lost to Toledo in double overtime. The 6-1-1 overall mark is the best start for Miami since 1999 when the Red and White rattled off seven straight victories to begin the season.

GIVING SOPHOMORES: The three assists by sophomore Ashley Swinehart during the past two games marked the second consecutive weekend that a RedHawk sophomore has recorded three assists. Sophomore Laura Freel had three asissts in matches against Toledo and Kent State on Sept. 13 and Seplt. 15.

All three of Swinehart's assists came when she crossed the ball into the action in front of the goal. Swinehart served up one for senior forward Danielle Berkemeier against Bowling Green on Friday and then one for Berkemeier and one for senior forward Andrea Cunningham against Akron on Sunday.

Freel added one assist to her three last weekend when she passed the ball through traffic for Cunningham's second goal of the game.

Swinehart's three assists and Freel's four assists during the 2002 season give them seven and six career assists, respectively.

TWO OF A KIND: After Andrea Cunningham's one assist verusBowling Green and two goals versus Akron and Danielle Berkemeier's two goals against Bowling Green and one goal versus Akron this weekend, Cunningham and Berkemeier are tied for the lead in the Mid-American Conference all-time point list. Cunningham and Berkemeier both have 116 all-time points.

Cunningham surpassed former Buffalo standout Paula Listrani as the MAC's career scoring leader on a second-half goal versus Buffalo on Nov. 6, 2001

Berkemeier passed Listrani 's 105 all-time points with a game-winning goal versus Georgia Southern on Sept. 8, 2002 to win the inaugural Miami/Adidas Invitational.

Berkemeier and Cunningham are the only players in Miami soccer history (men's or women's) and second and third in MAC women's soccer history to clear the century mark for career points.

THE VOTES ARE IN: Miami recieved votes in the Soccerbuzz.com Great Lakes Region poll again for the first time since the preseason poll. The RedHawks started the season rated 10th in the regional poll. Miami ended the season last year with their highest rating in school history, seventh place.

REDHAWKS FIGHTING CANCER: The Miami women's soccer has teamed up with the Greater Cincinnati Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation to combat the most common form of cancer among women. For every home goal Miami scores during its 2002 season, the women's soccer program will donate $20 to the foundation.

The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Research Program is regarded as one of the most innovative and responsive grant programs in breast cancer today. As a pioneer in the funding of ground-breaking breast cancer research, the Komen Foundation is often the only source of funding for cutting-edge breast cancer research, much of which has led to landmark discoveries in the quest to find a cure for and eventually prevent breast cancer.

A representative of the Cincinnati affiliate will be on hand for Miami's Oct. 31 match with Purdue to take part in a special donation ceremony.