Sept. 6, 2009
Box Score
CHARLESTON, Ill. - Senior Allison Berkey and junior Sara Lund each scored a goal and registered an assist to help the Miami women's soccer team charge past Eastern Illinois, 2-1, Sunday afternoon at Lakeside Field in the teams' first-ever meeting. It was the RedHawks' (2-1) first game in 14 days and marked their second straight win, both of which have come against Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) schools (Eastern Kentucky being the other).
After scoring three goals in the first 10 minutes in its last game (against EKU), Miami again jumped out of the gates quickly, grabbing a 2-0 lead in the first 23 minutes. Lund (Malmo, Sweden), the 'Hawks' leading scorer in 2008, found the back of the net for the first time in 2009 just 2:14 into the contest, blasting a shot "upper 90" into the top corner of the goal off an assist from Berkey (Hopkinton, Mass.).
The duo then hooked up again in the 23rd minute, as Lund fed a textbook cross from the left flank into the box that Berkey headed home from point-blank range for her first tally of the season and first since 2007, after missing 2008 with an injury.
"It's always good to come out strong and get up on teams early," head coach Bobby Kramig said. "I'm real pleased we were able to do that, but we need to do a better job of maintaining the pressure on the other team. We can't take our foot off the accelerator. It's something that we'll talk about in practice and work on."
The Panthers (2-2-1) notched their lone goal of the match in the 33rd minute as Kristin Germann put home a loose ball in the box after a scramble off a corner kick. Rachel Hamilton garnered the assist on the tally, but the 'Hawks took their one-goal lead into the half after outshooting Eastern Illinois, 10-2, in the first frame.
"I was really pleased with the first 25 minutes of the game. I thought we came out strong. We scored early again and kept on that lead. But then we kind of lost that rhythm a bit and gave up a silly goal on a corner kick," Kramig said. "I was very disappointed to give that one away, but we seemed to find our stride and get our rhythm back in the second half."
Although Miami was unable to put anymore goals on the board, the RedHawks controlled the final 45 minutes, ripping nine shots and earning four corners, while allowing just one shot that was off target and conceding one corner. The Red and White out-shot the Panthers 19-3 for the match. Lund led the way with six shots, while senior Kersta Carlson (Plymouth, Minn.) fired three and Berkey put both her shots on frame.
Senior goalkeeper Krista Pace (Toronto, Ont.) picked up the win in net to move to 2-1, as she needed to make just one save. Her counterpart, Kaylin Lorbert, made four saves on six shots on goal.
"I thought Allison Berkey had a tremendous performance today. She was the key to everything that we did today I thought," Kramig said. "Kersta Carlson did a wonderful job as our center midfielder, which was kind of a new thing for her. Alexandra Karlsson was very good for us in midfield and of course our two center backs, Brooke (Livingston) and Haley (Clark), were very good. It was certainly not the best game we've ever played and I don't think representative of what we're capable of, but we're delighted with the result."
Miami returns to the pitch Friday, Sept. 11, as it faces a third straight OVC foe in Morehead State. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET at MSU's Jayne Stadium.
--MURedHawks.com--
