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Nov. 15, 2001
Complete Tournament Packet in PDF Format
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REDHAWKS FACE WEST VIRGINIA IN RETURN TO NCAA TOURNAMENT: Following another remarkable Mid-American Conference postseason run, Miami University's women's soccer team makes its second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance at 7 p.m. this Friday when it faces No. 19 West Virginia in Morgantown, W.Va.
Miami, which is making its second NCAA postseason appearance and the third appearance by a MAC team, faces a potent West Virginia team that also is making its second straight NCAA Tourament appearance. The Mountaineers enter the first-round clash after falling to No. 6 Notre Dame in the championship game of the Big East Tournament. Prior to slipping against the Irish, WVU had reeled off seven consecutive wins, including an upset of then-No. 9 Connecticut. All four of the Mountaineers' losses this season have come at the hands of teams currently ranked among the Top 15 in the nation.
Joining Miami and West Virginia at Morgantown for the first and second rounds are Dayton and Maryland, who kick off at 4 p.m. Friday. The Flyers (15-5-0) were the Atlantic 10 regular-season and tournament champions, while Maryland (10-6-2), an ACC power, earned an at-large bid to the tournament. The winners of the two first-round contests meet at 1 p.m. Sunday for the right to advance to the final 16.
Included elsewhere in Miami's 16-team bracket are UCLA, Cal State Fullerton, Pepperdine and USC, who are playing at UCLA, Clemson, Kentucky, Florida State and Auburn, who are competing at Clemson, and Georgia, Miami (FL), Central Florida and Florida, who are playing at Florida.
SCOUTING THE REDHAWKS: Miami, which is averaging a solid 2.6 goals per contest, is led by the dynamic junior duo of Danielle Berkemeier (Fairfield, Ohio/Fairfield), a first-team all-MAC selection, and Andrea Cunningham (Cincinnati, Ohio/McAuley), the 2001 MAC Player of the Year. Berkemeier leads the team in scoring with 36 points off 14 goals and eight assists, while Cunningham leads the team with 15 goals and ranks second with 34 points. Headlining the midfield for the RedHawks are junior Shaedyn Cousino (Cincinnati, Ohio/Indian Hill), a three-time all-MAC honoree, and sophomore Danielle Altiero (Upper Arlington, Ohio/Upper Arlington), who is the highest-scoring midfielder in Miami history with five goals and 19 points this season. Defensively, a deep defender corps has overcome countless injuries to post a 1.02 goals against average versus MAC foes. Junior transfer Katie Karlander (Carmel, Ind./Syracuse) has seen action in all but three Miami contests, recording a 0.95 GAA, including 6.5 shutouts.
SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS: A dangerous offensive and very solid defensive team, West Virginia matches Miami's Berkemeier-Cunningham combo with another of the nation's highest-scoring forward tandems. Senior Katie Barnes and sophomore Chrissie Abbott have accounted for 53 percent of the Mountaineers' scoring, with Barnes tallying 34 points off 12 goals and 10 assists and Abbott recording 33 points off 15 goals and three assists. The next-highest scorer for West Virginia is sophomore midfielder Lisa Stoia, who has 13 points on the year. Defensively, the Mountaineers have been very solid, maintaining a paltry 0.85 goals against average. Splitting time in goal are junior Melissa Haire and sophomore Laura Finley. Haire has posted an 8-2-0 record and 0.87 GAA, while Finley has recorded a 7-2-1 mark and 0.82 GAA. The Mountaineers have blanked six opponents this season, while being shut out only once. WVU is 8-1-0 when playing on its home turf.
SCOUTING THE FLYERS: Making their second NCAA Tournament appearance in the past three seasons, the red-hot Dayton Flyers enter Friday's contest with Maryland in the midst of a 13-match winning streak in which it has outscored the opposition 35-7. Since starting the season 2-5-0 with losses to Oregon State, Michigan, Michigan State, Santa Clara and Stanford, the Flyers have rallied behind a balanced offensive attack and a stingy defense that allowed just 0.39 goals per game in Atlantic 10 play. Offensively, Dayton is led by junior midfielder Shannon Kuhl and senior defender Megan McKnight, who have tallied 23 and 22 points, respectively. Kuhl leads the team with nine goals, while freshman midfielder Tesia Kozlowski ranks second with eight scores. In all, 11 different Flyers have tallied goals this season, with 10 recording multiple goals. Junior Stephanie Weisenfeld has seen almost all of the action in net for Dayton, posting a 15-4-0 record and 1.06 GAA.
SCOUTING THE TERPS: The NCAA Tournament veteran of the four teams gathering in Morgantown, Maryland earned an at-large bid after compiling a 10-6-2 mark. The Terps, who are unbeaten in six of their last eight, suffered five of their six losses at the hands of nationally ranked foes. Bolstered by a potent defense that has posted nine shutouts this season, the Terps recorded a 0.67 goals against average in regular-season play. Maryland, which is tallying just 1.26 goals per outing, is led offensively by sophomore midfielder Jen Biscoe, who has 15 points off five goals and five assists. Junior forward Kim King ranks second on the team with five goals and three assists. In net, fifth-year senior Ali Wolf has played all 18 games for the Terps, posting a 1.00 GAA and .771 save percentage. The Maryland defense is allowing an average of just 8.0 shots per outing and just 4.4 shots on goal.
'HAWKS VERSUS THE FIELD: Though Miami has never gone head-to-head during the regular season with any of the three opponents joining it in Morgantown, the RedHawks are not complete strangers to two of the teams. Over the past two seasons, Miami has matched up with both the Mountaineers and Flyers during the preseason. The RedHawks clashed with WVU two years ago in an unscored scrimmage and have faced Dayton in each of the past two seasons. Prior to this season, the Flyers defeated Miami 1-0 in exhibition action.
Overall, the RedHawks have faced two members of this season's 64 NCAA Tournament, posting a 1-1-0 record. In its season-opening contest, Miami fell 2-1 in overtime to SMU. On Sept. 17, the Red and White toppled Cincinnati, 1-0.
MIAMI IN THE DANCE: Miami is making its second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance this Friday and the third overall by a Mid-American Conference program. Eastern Michigan was the first MAC program to receive an automatic bid during the 1999 season, when it defeated Miami in a penalty shootout following a scoreless MAC Championship match. The Eagles fell 2-0 at Minnesota in the MAC's first NCAA Tournament appearance. In 2000, Miami made its first appearance, nearly upsetting the University of Michigan, 4-3, in a double-overtime battle.
REDHAWKS ROLL TO SECOND STRAIGHT MAC TOURNAMENT TITLE: For the second consecutive season, Miami's women's soccer team peaked at just the right time, cruising to the MAC Tournament Championship while outscoring its three opponents by a combined margin of 14-2. The RedHawks improved their all-time MAC Tournament record to a still unbeaten 8-0-1, including three straight championship match appearances. In three seasons, Miami has outscored the opposition at the MAC Tournament by a 21-3 margin. Following are brief recaps of Miami's 2001 tournament matches:
MAC QUARTERFINAL-MIAMI 7, BUFFALO 0: Miami made quite a statement in its MAC Quarterfinal match with Buffalo, rolling to seven second-half goals in the highest-scoring outing in MAC Tournament history. Following a scoreless first half, Miami finally got on the board with a Danielle Berkemeier (Fairfield, Ohio/Fairfield) score in the 48th minute. From there, Miami got two goals and two assists from freshman Ashley Swinehart (Worthington, Ohio/Worthington), goals from Katie Mach (Palatine, Ill./Fremd), Andrea Cunningham (Cincinnati, Ohio/McAuley), Shaedyn Cousino (Cincinnati, Ohio/Indian Hill) and Brooke Paul (Louisville, Ky./Sacred Heart) and three assists from Danielle Altiero (Upper Arlington, Ohio/Upper Arlington). Katie Karlander (Carmel, Ind./Syracuse) notched her sixth complete-game Miami shutout behind a defense that allowed only two shots on goal.
MAC SEMIFINAL-MIAMI 4, EASTERN MICHIGAN 1: Led by the clutch scoring of Danielle Berkemeier (Fairfield, Ohio/Fairfield) and another solid defensive effort, Miami advanced to the MAC Championship match for the third consecutive season by defeating Eastern Michigan, 4-1. Miami got on the board first, when Danielle Altiero (Upper Arlington, Ohio/Upper Arlington) took a crossing pass from Katie Milligan (Strongsville, Ohio/Strongsville) and headed it past Eagles keeper Nicki Allen at the 27:51 mark of the first half, giving the RedHawks a 1-0 lead they would take into the locker room. Milligan picked up a goal of her own six minutes into the second half, as she fired a shot past Allen from five yards out to put Miami up 2-0. Less than a minute later, Eastern Michigan's Jessica Hupe, the MAC's second-leading scorer, answered right back, chipping a ball over Karlander's head to cut the deficit to 2-1. Hupe's goal ended Miami's 650-minute MAC postseason shutout streak.
Berkemeier took over the match from there, netting a penalty kick to rebuild Miami's lead and later beating the Eagles on a break-away for the back-breaking fourth Miami goal. Along with advancing to the MAC Title match, Miami defeated ended a six-game winless drought versus the Eagles.
MAC CHAMPIONSHIP-MIAMI 3, CENTRAL MICHIGAN 1: In what is becoming a common theme, Miami capped another brilliant Mid-American Conference tournament run by besting Central Michigan, 3-1, for its second straight MAC Touranment Championship. The win clinched the RedHawks' second consecutive NCAA Tournament berth.
Miami used an explosive three-minute span in the first half to gain early control of the match. Danielle Altiero (Upper Arlington, Ohio/Upper Arlington) put Miami on the board at 35:53 with a remarkable unassisted goal. Riding high on the momentum of its first score, Miami was quick to capitalize with another strike just 2:35 later. In a scenario that has been carried out many times, before junior Andrea Cunningham (Cincinnati, Ohio/McAuley) swung a perfect pass to junior Danielle Berkemeier (Fairfield, Ohio/Fairfield), who was able to finish almost unchallenged into the far corner of the net. CMU challenged in the second half, pulling within 2-1, but Berkemeier continued her clutch tournament play by scoring in traffic to end the Chippewa threat and send Miami to the title. Miami's win marked the first time a MAC Championship match did not require overtime.
FOUR TABBED FOR MAC ALL-TOURNAMENT HONORS: Following a 3-1 defeat of Central Michigan that gave Miami its second consecutive MAC Tournament Title, four RedHawks were honored with MAC All-Tournament honors. Leading the way for Miami was junior forward Danielle Berkemeier (Fairfield, Ohio/Fairfield), who totaled a record five goals during the course of the tournament's three contests. Berkemeier tallied back-to-back multiple-goal outings in the semifinal and championship match, while also recording game-winning scores in the quarterfinal and championship. Joining Berkemeier as a repeat selection to the all-tournament team was junior midfielder Katie Milligan (Strongsville, Ohio/Strongsville), who netted a goal and an assist in the semifinal defeat of Eastern Michigan. Also earning all-tournament honors were junior midfielder Shaedyn Cousino (Cincinnati, Ohio/Indian Hill), a dominant presence in the middle of the midfield throughout the tournament, and Katie Mach (Palatine, Ill./Fremd), who tallied her first collegiate goal in the quarterfinal defeat of Buffalo while serving as a vital cog in a Miami defense that gave up just two goals in three MAC tournament matches.
HEAD COACH BOBBY KRAMIG: Guiding Miami into its second consecutive MAC Semifinal appearance is head coach Bobby Kramig (Florida Southern '82), who continues to lead the program to new heights. Kramig, who has headed the women's program since its inception in 1997, holds a 56-38-5 (.591) record.
Kramig has successfully guided Miami's women's soccer program through its transition from club to varsity status over the past five seasons. In 1999, Kramig led the RedHawks to a landmark season that included a trip to the MAC Championship match and a Miami record 17 wins. Last season, Kramig guided the Red and White deep into the postseason, guiding the RedHawks to a 13-8-0 overall record, a MAC Tournament Championship and an NCAA Tournament berth.
Kramig, who began his career as head women's soccer coach at Morehead State in 1982, came to Miami prior to the 1983 season, when he took over the Miami men's soccer program, which he guided for the next 16 seasons. His overall college coaching record (men's and women's) stands at 207-184-26 (.541). He is making his third overall NCAA Tournament appearance, having previously guided the men's program to the NCAA play-in game in 1994 and the women's team to a 2000 berth.
MATCH OF THE CENTURY: In an ironic twist, arguably the biggest match in Miami women's soccer history is also the 100th match for the Miami women's soccer program. Started in 1997, Miami's women's soccer program has come a long way in its first 99 matches, posting a 56-38-5 record, while advancing to three consecutive MAC Championshp matches, winning two MAC Tournament Titles and earning two NCAA Tournament berths.
SEALING THE DEAL: Though Miami has been solid in outscoring the opposition by a 22-11 margin in first-half action this season, the RedHawks and their depth have been able to seal the deal with their second-half play. Through 21 matches, Miami has outscored the opposition by a more than 3-to-1 (32-9) margin in the second half. The RedHawks have blanked 14 of their 21 opponents during the second half this season, with just two opponents tallying multiple second-half scores. The RedHawks have a 0.43 second-half goals against average this season and are averaging 1.5 goals per contest in the second half.
ALL OR NOTHING: The difference between a win and a loss has been far more than a fine line for the RedHawks this season. Miami has dominated in its 14 wins this season, outscoring the opposition 50-8 while shutting out eight opponents. In victory, Miami's offense is scoring an impressive 3.6 goals per game, while its defense is surrendering a mere 0.57 goals per contest. In six losses and a tie, however, Miami's offense has been virtually silenced, enduring a 15-4 deficit and averaging just 0.53 goals per contest. Miami has been shut out three times this season and never scored more than one goal in a loss.
IT TAKES TWO: Two has been the magic number for Miami's offense this season. When the RedHawks have scored at least twice, they've been unbeatable this season, winning 13-of-13 contests. Conversely, the RedHawks are 1-3-1 this season when scoring just one goal and 0-3 when being held scoreless. Miami's lone win when scoring less than two goals was a 1-0 defeat of Cincinnati on Sept. 17.
FIRST STRIKE: Capturing the early momentum has been a key for Miami this season. The RedHawks are a perfect 14-0-0 this season when they net the first goal of a match. In contrast, when Miami surrenders the first goal of the game, it is 0-5-1. The Red and White has rallied from a deficit only once this season, resulting in a 1-1 tie with Ball State.
NO TURKEYS: While most teams are wrapping their seasons up when November rolls around, Miami is really just getting warmed up. Since it first qualified for the MAC Tournament in 1999, Miami has posted a November record of 7-2-1 (.750). Of those 10 November battles, all but one took place either in the MAC or NCAA Tournament. Entering Friday's match, Miami owns an 8-1-1 (.850) postseason record.
REDHAWKS PLACE FIVE ON ALL-MAC TEAM: During an exciting night for the Miami women's soccer program, five RedHawks were honored by their peers at the 2001 MAC Women's Soccer Awards Banquet on Oct. 8. Leading the way was junior Andrea Cunningham (Cincinnati, Ohio/McAuley), who was named MAC Player of the Year after leading the league in scoring for the second straight year. Joining Cunningham as first-team all-MAC selections were junior Danielle Berkemeier (Fairfield, Ohio/Fairfield), who ranked among the top five in the MAC in goals and assists, and Danielle Altiero (Upper Arlington, Ohio/Upper Arlington), who ranks second in the MAC in assists. Earning second team honors were junior Shaedyn Cousino (Cincinnati, Ohio/Indian Hill), a three-time all-MAC selection, and Katie Karlander (Carmel, Ind./Syracuse), the first Miami goalkeeper to earn all-league plaudits. MISS NOVEMBER: As good as Miami has been as a team during the postseason, it is impossible to ignore the individual achievements of junior forward Danielle Berkemeier (Fairfield, Ohio/Fairfield), who has merited a reputation as a big-game player. Through 10 postseason contests over the past three seasons, Berkemeier has netted 10 goals, including a remarkable six game-winning strikes.
CUNNINGHAM BECOMES MAC ALL-TIME SCORING LEADER: With a second-half goal versus Buffalo on Nov. 6, junior Andrea Cunningham (Cincinnati, Ohio/McAuley) surpassed former Buffalo standout Paula Listrani as the MAC's career scoring leader. Cunningham, who has 107 career points off 45 goals and 17 assists, netted the goal in the 84th minute. She was the first Miami player to clear 100 career points.
DYNAMIC DUO: With an entire season of eligibility still remaining, Miami juniors Danielle Berkemeier (Fairfield, Ohio/Fairfield) and Andrea Cunningham (Cincinnati, Ohio/McAuley) are firmly entrenching their reputations as the most dangerous scoring duo in MAC history. Over the past three seasons, Berkemeier and Cunning-ham, who have played together for the past 11 years, have accounted for 85 goals or better than 50 percent of Miami's total scoring.
Berkemeier, the 1999 MAC Newcomer of the Year, is a three-time all-MAC honoree and currently ranks third in the MAC for career scoring with 102 points on 40 goals and 22 assists. She has accounted for at least one point in 19 of the last 21 matches in which Miami has scored. With two assists, Berkemeier could become the first Miami player to record a season double-double in goals and assists. Cunningham, the 2001 MAC Player of the Year and a 2000 NSCAA first-team All-American, led the MAC in scoring for the second consecutive season. Also a three-time all-MAC honoree, Cunningham leads Miami with a Miami record six game-winning goals. She needs just one goal to tie her own Miami single-season record of 16 goals.
HEART OF THE MIDFIELD: Before Miami can turn its offensive weapons loose, it must first be able to win critical balls in the center of the midfield. For the past three seasons, head coach Bobby Kramig and his Miami RedHawks have relied heavily on junior midfielder Shaedyn Cousino (Cincinnati, Ohio/Indian Hill) to take care of the dirty work. Cousino, a three-time all-MAC honoree, has been a force in the air and on the ground for Miami throughout her career, consistently winning balls and setting the RedHawk offense in motion.
This season, she has contributed a solid two goals and three assists, but most of Cousino's most crucial contributions are not captured on the stats sheets. In a perfect example of the toughness she has come to personify, Cousino shook off a first-half ankle injury versus Buffalo in the MAC Quarterfinal and returned in the second half to tally a goal and eventually work her way into MAC all-tournament recognition. Cousino is the daughter of Brad Cousino, a former All-American football standout at Miami, and the sister of Cortt Cousino, a linebacker on Miami's current football team.
LENDING A HELPING FOOT: Though the majority of Miami's scoring has come from its frontrunners over the past five seasons, that tide may be beginning to change. Junior midfielder Danielle Altiero (Upper Arlington, Ohio/Upper Arlington), a redshirt sophomore, has used her deft footwork to become one of the team's top playmakers and scoring threats. Twice this season, including Miami's MAC quarterfinal match versus Buffalo, Altiero has tied Miami's single-game record by serving up three assists. Altiero also has netted a Miami midfielder record with five goals this season. With two seasons of eligibility remaining, Altiero is on pace to become the highest scoring midfielder in Miami history. She currently has 27 career points off eight goals and 11 assists. Altiero was forced to take a medical redshirt during her true freshman season when a stress fracture in her back was discovered during the preseason.
FIRE IN THE GOAL: Though she is the third Miami goalkeeper in the past three years, the RedHawks have plenty of confidence in junior transfer Katie Karlander (Carmel, Ind./Syracuse), who has proven herself time and again.
Karlander, who stands at 13-4-1 for the RedHawks, owns a 0.95 goals against average and has notched 6.5 shutouts. Perhaps her biggest contribution to Miami's defense has been her athletic ability, which has allowed her to blow up scoring threats before they can actually take form.
A starter at Syracuse during her first two seasons, Karlander set Orangewomen career records for wins and shutouts. For her career, Karlander currently has 36 wins, 21.5 shutouts and 276 saves. A former NSCAA regional high school All-American, Karlander gave up just three goals during her prep career.
TOUGH "D": If Miami head coach Bobby Kramig had to select a defensive MVP for his team right now, he would have to consider athletic trainer Dave Donnelly, who has nursed a wounded defender corps back to its most healthy point in months. Of nine players who have taken the field as defenders for Miami since last spring, Donnelly has had to work all nine through some sort of ailment. Included on the RedHawk casualty list over the past six months have been Michaela Fink (knee), Audry Wieman (knee), Sarah Paul (achilles tendon), Holly Wildenhaus (knee), Courtney Carey (knee), Quinn Brady (knee), Tricia Gill (concussion), Katie Mach (ankle/hand) and Kristy Tamska (foot). Entering this weekend, seven of the nine are available to play, with Brady and Fink standing as the exceptions.
STEADY AS THEY COME: Miami's senior class, which was saluted with a 3-0 senior day defeat of Bowling Green on Oct. 28, has continued to make solid contributions to the program's success during the 2001 season. Included in the program's first true recruiting class are Quinn Brady (Glen Rock, N.J./Glen Rock), Courtney Carey (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Ursula), Julie Grosso (Dublin, Ohio/Scioto), Brooke Paul (Louisville, Ky./Sacred Heart) and Sarah Paul (Dayton, Ohio/Northmont).
During their four-year career, Miami's senior class, which joined the program in its second season, has helped the team to an impressive 46-25-5 overall record, two MAC Championship match appearances and an NCAA Tournament berth. Individually, the class has set itself apart with a number of stellar performances, including Carey's Miami record four goals versus Youngstown State in 1999 and Brooke Paul's two career hat tricks.
Brady, who appeared in 47 consecutive contests between her freshman and senior seasons, ranks among Miami's all-time top five with 67 games played. Grosso earned her chunk of Miami soccer history last season, when she recorded the program's first NCAA tournament goal. Sarah Paul has established herself as one of the program's most reliable defenders over the past three seasons.
FRESH LEGS: In what is becoming a common theme at Miami, the RedHawk freshman class has made substantial contributions toward the team's success. Midfielders Laura Freel (Atlanta, Ga./Westminster), Megan Shapiro (Grosse Pointe, Mich./South) and Ashley Swinehart (Worthington, Ohio/Worthington), who also plays forward, have combined for 50 appearances, six goals and seven assists.
The class also has provided Miami with an upgrade in team speed as well as Swinehart's flip throw-in, which has placed a number of dangerous balls within the opposition's penalty box. Miami's current freshman class was ranked as one of the top recruiting classes in the nation by Soccerbuzz.com.
WHAT A RUN: After struggling through its first two seasons as a varsity program, the last two seasons have been a dream for the Red and White. During the 1999 and 2000 seasons, Miami forged an impressive 30-11-1 record, made two trips to the MAC Championship Game, won a MAC Tournament championship and earned an NCAA Tournament berth. During that same stretch, Miami went from last in the MAC in goals per game to leading the league the past three seasons.
GREAT EXPECTATIONS: Though, as head coach Bobby Kramig says, the proof is in the pudding, Miami earned more than its share of preseason recognition. Miami was picked to finish first in Ohio, first in the Mid-American Conference and 10th in the Great Lakes Region. The RedHawks had never been a preseason favorite in Ohio or the MAC and had never been ranked among the Great Lakes Region's Top 10. In the MAC poll, Miami received an impressive nine first-place votes and finished 18 votes ahead of second-place Central Michigan, amassing 160 of a possible 169 points.
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