Sept. 18, 2009
Box Score
OXFORD, Ohio - The Miami women's soccer team held a 1-0 lead midway through the second half, but two Dayton goals in the final 22 minutes allowed the Flyers to escape with a 2-1 win Friday evening at Miami Soccer Field on the team's alumni weekend. The RedHawks' (3-3-0) goal was just the second goal Dayton (4-0-4), who remained unbeaten with the comeback win, had allowed in eight games this season.
After the teams felt each other out in the opening minutes, Dayton put the pressure on Miami with their speed, finding space in its attacking zone, but the RedHawks' defense held strong. The Flyers, who garnered votes in the NSCAA national poll this week, earned a trio of corner kicks in a two-minute stretch and nearly scored off the third corner but senior Mandi Bäck's shot hit the post in the 16th minute.
Miami was not intimidated, however, and created plenty of opportunities of its own, including a shot from senior Kersta Carlson (Plymouth, Minn.) in the 21st minute that sailed just left of the goal after good ball movement created space for the midfielder. The 'Hawks' best chance for a goal in the opening 45 minutes came in the 32nd minute when senior forward Jodi Zwingelberg's (Elgin, Ill.) sliding shot off a cross went just right of the cage, as the two teams headed into halftime scoreless.
Dayton held a slight, 8-6 edge in shots in the first frame, but UD earned four corners to Miami's one and put five of its eight shots on goal. Senior keeper Krista Pace (Toronto, Ont.) made all five saves, however, while the RedHawks put just one shot on target.
Miami came out aggressive in the second stanza, keeping play in the Dayton end off the whistle, which paid off for the RedHawks. In the 48th minute, freshman Jess Kodiak (Naperville, Ill.) broke the deadlock when she scored her first collegiate goal after a Miami cross was headed down by a Flyer defender, hit off the right post and caromed right to Kodiak who cleaned up the rebound with ease.
Dayton would not be outdone, however, as junior Kelly Blumenschein evened the score in the 69th minute, slotting the ball past Pace from the left side off a feed from freshman Colleen Williams. UD then kept the pressure on Miami and again found the back of the net in the 81st minute as Bäck scored her second goal of the season from just outside the six-yard box, also off a pass from Williams, who finished with two assists on the day.
The 'Hawks looked to even the match in the final nine minutes, but were unable to get a clean shot off despite repeatedly feeding the ball into the Flyer zone, as Miami fell, 2-1.
"Hanging with teams isn't enough. We need to push through that barrier and over the top," Miami head coach Bobby Kramig said. "I'm proud of the way we played, our commitment and what we put into the game. This team possesses so many great qualities but we've got to push through this. We had the game and we let it get away."
Dayton out-shot the RedHawks, 20-10, for the match and earned seven corners to Miami's two. Bäck and Jerica DeWolfe led UD with four shots and two shots on goal apiece, while juniors Sara Lund (Malmo, Sweden) and Julie Thompson (Glenview, Ill.) each fired two shots with one on goal for the Red and White.
Pace finished with seven saves on the evening, while freshman keeper Katherine Boone made a pair of stops for the Flyers.
"You have to give lots of credit to Dayton," Kramig said. "They're a good, solid team. They're quick, they're skillful, so credit to them, but it's our home field, our crowd and our weekend and it needs to be our game."
Miami finishes up its three-game home stand and non-conference play Sunday, Sept. 20, as Cleveland State comes to town for a 1 p.m. match at Miami Soccer Field. Sunday will be the first-ever meeting between Miami and CSU and will also be Senior Day. The RedHawk seniors will be honored prior to the match while returning alumni will be recognized at halftime.
--MURedHawks.com--
