Oct. 17, 2010

Box Score

By Drew Davis

OXFORD, Ohio - Miami women's soccer went to overtime for the third straight game Sunday afternoon at Miami Soccer Field, but came up short, falling to Akron, 2-1, in the 92nd minute on Rachel Phillip's second goal of the game.

Miami (11-5-1, 4-3-1 Mid-American Conference) took just three shots in the first half while on the other side of the field, Akron (4-10-1, 2-5-1 MAC) took seven. Freshman goalkeeper Kris Gasparovic stopped all six of the Zips shots on goal in the first half to head into halftime with the score tied 0-0.

The RedHawks scored first in the 54th minute when sophomore Jess Kodiak took a pass from senior Julie Thompson inside the box, turned toward the goal and placed a shot just inside the post for her team-leading seventh goal of the season and the 1-0 lead.

Less than a minute later, Miami almost added to the lead when junior Giselle Mangal took a pass down the right side of the field, beating the defense by a step but missed on the shot just wide of the goal.

The Zips responded, scoring just three minutes after Miami's goal, when Kyarah Foushee connected with Phillip to even the score at 1-1. Miami had just been whistled for a foul in their own half and before the RedHawks could set up on defense, Foushee placed the ball and passed through the Miami defense to Phillip who made a run up the middle.

"We lost our focus and let them tie up the game on a quick restart," senior captain Brooke Livingston said. "We didn't come out with the focus that we needed to. "

Just over a minute into overtime, Akron again quickly set up after a whistle, put the ball through the Miami defense and Phillip was able to get a foot on it for the game winner.

"We just lost concentration for five seconds and sometimes that's all it takes to lose a game," Gasparovic said.

Next up for Miami is a trip to Northern Illinois on Friday, Oct. 22 as the RedHawks try to extend their lead in the MAC East.