Sept. 11, 2009
Final Stats
OXFORD, Ohio - The first home game of the season also brought the first win of the season for the Miami field hockey team as it overcame the Central Michigan Chippewas, 3-1. Miami is now 1-3 on the season and 1-0 in the Mid-American Conference, while CMU falls to 1-2 and 0-1 in the MAC.
Despite their best offensive efforts, and close shots by RedHawk forwards Jackie Nguyen and Kate Snyder it was the defense that held strong through most of the first half, keeping both ends scoreless. It was senior back Katie Brightwell that broke the stalemate with 5:45 left in the first half with her goal from junior midfielder Christine Brightwell.
"It's hard to take all of those shots and not have them go in," said head coach Jill Reeve of the first half. "It can get in your head, but we did a nice job of keeping our composure until the goal came."
With Miami leading by a score of 1-0 going into the second half, the Chippewas responded quickly with an unassisted goal from Brooke Sihota. Despite six other attempts, the RedHawks were able to keep CMU scoreless for the rest of the game.
Two Miami goals at the end of the half provide the final margin. The first was from Mary Hull and was assisted by Christine Brightwell with 5:32 remaining. The final one came from Christine Brightwell and was assisted by Snyder at the 2:26 mark, to seal the victory for Miami.
"I'm impressed with our effort today," commented Reeve. "We've been struggling with our combinations and playing as a unit, but today we came together and played great. It's very rewarding."
Miami will wrap up the home weekend when they face off against Northwestern on Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Miami Field Hockey Complex.
