Oct. 8, 2002
REDHAWKS FACE BUTLER AND BALL STATE: Miami faces a good challenge this weekend when it heads to Indiana to face Butler University and Ball State University on Friday and Sunday. The Bulldogs and Cardinals combined record equals 17-5 going into this weekend's matches.
When Miami plays in Indianapolis on Friday, it will be the first non-conference match Miami has played since the RedHawks defeated Georgia Southern on Sept. 8th. Butler brings a five-game winning streak into the Friday contest, including a 3-0 record in the Horizon League. The Bulldogs overall record stands at 8-2-0. Senior Amy Morrison leads Butler with 13 goals including four goals in a 5-2 win over conference foe, Loyola on Oct. 4. The Bulldogs won the only meeting between the two schools, 3-2 during the 2000 season.
After the 1998 season, Ball State had never fielded a women's soccer team and Miami had compiled a record of 12-21-3 in its only two years of existence. Nearly four years have passed, and the RedHawks and Cardinals stand in first and second place in the Mid-American Conference. Ball State will host Miami in Muncie with a 9-3-0 record and a 6-2-0 mark in the MAC. Ball State is coming off only its second conference loss of the season to Central Michigan, 2-1 on Sunday. Before Sunday, Ball State had won five consecutive MAC games. In Ball State's last victory, sophomore Katie Nadalin scored two goals for the Cardinals in a 2-0 victory over Eastern Michigan on Friday. Nadilin has six goals and one assist to top Ball State.
A LOOK BACK: After starting the Mid-American Conference season 6-0-0, the RedHawk women's soccer team suffered their first loss in the driving rain to Central Michigan, 3-2 at Miami Soccer Field on Friday.
Seniors Danielle Berkemeier and Andrea Cunningham scored for the Red and White, but it proved to not be enough. Central Michigan forward Olina Vidarsdottir scored twice for the Chippewas and Emilie Villemonte also scored in between Berkemeier and Cunningham's goals.
Miami rebounded from their only MAC loss to post a 2-1 victory over Eastern Michigan at Miami Soccer Field on Sunday.
Berkemeier set the tone for the RedHawks by scoring on the first shot taken by a Miami player. Eastern Michigan's Heather Pedersen scored shortly after Berkemeier to knot the score at one.
After 64 minutes of scoreless play, redshirt junior Danielle Altiero scored the game-winner for Miami off sophomore Ashley Swinehart flip throw-in.
QUICK START: The RedHawks are off to their best start in Mid-American Conference play history with a 7-1 mark. Miami had started 6-2 in MAC play for the three years previous to 2002. The Red and White are a half-game behind their best all-time start with a 9-2-1 record. In 1999, Miami went 10-2 during their first 12 games. MAC win streak of 1999.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN: Though, Miami has been far more successful in the past on its home turf, posting a 34-16-4 mark, the RedHawks have excelled on the road since Sept. 9 of 2001 with an 11-3-0 mark. Miami has a 24-25-2 mark away from Miami Soccer Field over the past five years but had managed only one season with a winning road record before 2001, a 7-3-1 mark in 1999. The Red and White used a strong postseason run, to finish the 2000 road ledger at 5-5.
MISS CLUTCH: All five the goals scored by Danielle Altiero have come when the Miami offense needed it the most. Three of Altiero's goals have been game-winners, coming against Stony Brook, Buffalo and Eastern Michigan. Another one of her goals earned a tie against St. John's and the last goal was the insurance goal against Buffalo to add to her game-winner in a 2-0 victory.
GIVING SOPHOMORES: Of the 23 assists that the 2002 RedHawks have recorded, 12 of them have come from sophomores. Laura Freel and Ashley Swinehart leads the Red and White with six assists and Laura Freel is only one behind with five, while Megan Shapiro added the other sophomore assist.
Four of Swinehart's six assists have come when she crossed the ball into the action in front of the goal. Swinehart's other two assists have come off flip throw-ins that carried from the sideline to Danielle Altiero who one-touched the ball in the net.
Freel has added one assist in each of the past two weekends to join the three she recorded on the weekend of Sept. 13-15.
Shapiro's only assist was to Altiero for the game-winner in overtime in Miami's first win of the season at Stony Brook, N.Y. on Aug. 30th.
Swinehart's six assists and Freel's five assists during the 2002 season give them ten and seven career assists, respectively. Shapiro had one assist last year to add to her one this year.
TWO OF A KIND: Senior Danielle Berkemeier took her first lead in the Mid-American Conference all-time point list after she scored a goal against Central Michigan and Eastern Michigan this weekend. Fellow senior Andrea Cunningham scored once against Central Michigan, which puts her two points behind Berkemeier. Cunningham has 120 all-time points while Berkemeier carries 122 career 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 surpass the century mark for career points.
THE VOTES ARE IN: Miami received votes in the Soccerbuzz.com Great Lakes Region poll for the third week in a row. This is the first time since the preseason poll and the last two polls of the 2001 season, that Miami has received votes in three consecutive polls. 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. The week before that, Miami received votes for the first time in school history.
NEW RECORD: Miami's shutout and scoreless streak ended at five games and 554 minutes when Ohio's Rachael Najjar scored in the 49th minute on Sept. 27. The streak included five straight shutouts that dated back to Sept. 6th when the RedHawks gave up a goal in the 54th minute against St. John's. Miami continued their dominance by shutting down Buffalo in a 2-0 victory, which gives Miami six shutouts in its last seven contests.
Since taking over, freshman Leigh Terry has collected her first three collegiate shutouts and five victories. Terry's shutouts over Bowling Green, Akron and Buffalo tie her with senior Katie Karlander for the 2002 team lead with three shutouts.
Karlander started the string of victories with shutouts over Georgia Southern, Toledo and Kent State.
The 554 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. The streak included victories over Ohio, Buffalo, and a double-overtime win over Bowling Green.
The RedHawks six shutouts on the 2002 season ties their season totals in 1999 and 2000, and is second to the nine shutouts the Miami goalkeepers recorded last year.
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.
MIAMI PROMOTIONS: Halftime of every home game offers one randomly drawn Miami student the chance to kick a goal into an open spot on a blocked net to earn $10,000. Fans will also have a chance to catch mini Adidas soccer balls which will be thrown into the crowd after every RedHawk goal scored at the Miami Soccer Field.
In addition, the RedHawk soccer team will hold a different giveaway promotion for every home game throughout the 2002 season.
Oct. 25, Wright State Girls and Sports Day (In conjunction with Miami Volleyball game at 7 p.m. Girls receive free beaded Miami soccer necklace)
Oct. 27, Marshall Fan Appreciation Day (Assorted Miami give aways)
Oct. 31, Purdue Trick or Treat with the RedHawks (Wear your Halloween costume and receive candy from the Miami and Purdue players after the game)
The Miami Soccer Team is sponsored by Moonshine Printing.
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