Nov. 7, 2009
Final Stats
MUNCIE, Ind. - In what was a fight to the finish, but the Miami field hockey team came up short against the Ohio Bobcats in the MAC Tournament Championship game Saturday, falling 2-1. This was the second time in three years that Miami had advanced to the finals and the second year in a row that Ohio has knocked out the RedHawks.
Miami came out as they had in the two previous tournament games, dominating in every aspect except for on the scoreboard. Though the half ended with the teams tied at zero, Miami had outshot Ohio 13-2. The RedHawks concentrated the play on Ohio's end of the field and developed a solid attack throughout the half.
The opening minutes of the second period were much of the same as Miami kept the Bobcats on their heels. A breakaway by Ohio changed the pace, however, and a goal by Katherine Ballard for the Bobcats off of a save by RedHawk goalkeeper Kelsey Dean allowed them to take the lead 1-0 at 43:09.
Back on the attack, Miami drew eight total penalty corners in the half, unable to capitalize on any. The Bobcats would once again put Miami on its heels and at 61:11 recorded their second goal of the game when Brooke Edwards found the net during a scramble in front of the goal.
The RedHawks would not stay quiet for long, however, and responded with a goal less than six minutes later at 67:01 when senior back Maggie Marcum put Miami on the board with a shot through traffic. That was Marcum's second goal of the tournament and the first Miami goal scored against Ohio in 2009. Despite several close calls in the remaining minutes, Miami was unable to find the net again, leaving Ohio as the MAC Tournament Champions.
During the awards ceremony after the game, the MAC named senior back Katie Brightwell, senior forward Mary Hull and sophomore midfielder Amanda Seeley to the All-Tournament team for their efforts over the past three days. Brightwell controlled the backfield for Miami during the tournament and has been a defensive leader for the team throughout the season. Hull demonstrated her offensive prowess and, alongside Brightwell, helped to guide the team as a senior leader in 2009. In the tournament she recorded a goal in the opening rout of Missouri State. Seeley scored the game winning goal in overtime against Kent State in the semifinals, propelling Miami to the championship match, and recorded an assist against Missouri State.
The Miami field hockey team finishes the 2009 season with a 13-10-0 overall record and 7-3-0 MAC record.
