Sept. 22, 2006
Box Score
KENT, Ohio -- Miami University's field hockey team opened the 2006 Mid-American Conference season with a bang as junior Alyssa Nye (Bernville, Pa.) scored three times to pace the RedHawks to a 7-4 win over the host Kent State Golden Flashes on Friday. The victory marked the second year in a row that Miami (4-5, 1-0 MAC) has opened the MAC season with a win over Kent State (2-7, 0-1 MAC). Five different RedHawks found the back of the cage in a game that pitted the RedHawks against former Miami assistant and current Kent State head coach Kathleen Schanne.
Senior Danielle Perrecone (Carlsbad, Calif.) wasted little time giving Miami an early lead as she tallied her team-leading fifth goal of the year just one minute into the contest. With an assist from junior Taylor Florence (Louisville, Ky.), Perrecone beat Kent State's Linz Markwart with a shot from the top of the circle for a 1-0 Miami advantage.
Miami's Deb Leighton (Encinitas, Calif.) put the RedHawks up 2-0 at the 19:13 mark with another shot from the top of the circle that was assisted by junior Laura Seidel (Oley, Pa.). Leighton's second goal of the season sparked a furious final 16 minutes of the half, which saw five goals scored, including a pair of Kent State goals in the 21st and 23rd minutes, which drew the score even at 2-2.
The RedHawks regained the lead at the 27:29 mark on freshman Mary Hull's (San Diego, Calif.) unassisted tally, but saw that lead disappear with time winding down in the half as Kent State's Elizabeth Lahey beat Miami goalkeeper Megan Stengel (Louisville, Ky.) with just 52 seconds remaining to make the score 3-3.
Nye scored her first of three second-half goals after a mere 1:03 had expired in the half to give the RedHawks a lead they would not relinquish. After her unassisted tally, Nye assisted on sophomore Elizabeth Gilroy's (San Diego, Calif.) second goal of the season at the 37:20 mark, which gave the Red and White a 5-3 lead.
Miami kept its collective foot on the accelerator early in the half as Nye struck for her second goal at the 38:34 mark to put the RedHawks up 6-3. Perrecone collected the assist, her fourth of the season, as she now leads Miami in scoring with 14 points.
After Kent State cut Miami's lead to 6-4 with a goal in the game's 62nd minute, Nye put an exclamation point on a tremendous offensive afternoon for the Red and White with her third of the afternoon, an unassisted marker that came off a rebound at 67:45.
Stengel turned away four shots in the cage for Miami to earn her first victory of the season. Miami outshot Kent State 19-15 in the game and held a 12-6 advantage in penalty corners.
The RedHawks complete their weekend of MAC action on Saturday as they travel to Ohio University for a 1 p.m. tilt with the Bobcats.
NOTES: The victory marks the second time in three years under head coach Jill Reeve that Miami has won its conference opener ... the last time Miami scored seven or more goals was on Sept. 16, 2000 when it downed Indiana 9-0 ... in the last meeting between Miami and Ohio, the RedHawks won 1-0 in overtime in the 2005 MAC Tournament.
