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OXFORD, Ohio -- After a hard-fought, evenly matched contest, the Miami University field hockey team dropped a heartbreaker to Kent State, 2-1, in overtime on Friday. The RedHawks saw their five-game winning streak come to an end as they fell to 8-6 overall and 3-1 in the Mid-American Conference. The Golden Flashes improve to 9-5 overall and 5-0 in the MAC.

"It was a very even game, that's what both teams were expecting going into it," said head coach Inako Puzo. "I didn't think we played great, we put too much pressure on ourselves. That had an effect on the flow of the game."

Play remained out the circles for the first 15 minutes of the contest. Miami was able to drive inside the attack circle in the 17th minute, forcing Kent State to commit a foul. On the ensuing penalty corner, sophomore midfielder Ashley Laskowitz sent it in to senior midfielder Carla Romagosa. She stopped the ball for junior back Mariona Heras to take a shot. Her shot found the back of the net to give Miami a 1-0 lead.

It stayed that way until the 26th minute. A long pass from the midfield by Jessica Nesbitt found Alison Harmatz in the circle. She then found the corner of the goal to send the game into halftime tied at one.

Miami was the aggressor in the second half as it was awarded eight penalty corner attempts. The RedHawks had several good scoring opportunities, but could not break through. Their best chance came in the 52nd minute when a shot from senior forward Geagy Pritchard was deflected into the post. Despite a 7-3 shot advantage for the RedHawks in the period, the game remained tied and headed into overtime.

Sophomore midfielder Paula Portugal had the first attempt in the 7v7 overtime period, but her shot went just wide. In the 74th minute, a turnover created a Kent State breakaway. Shannon Talbot's first shot attempt was stopped by senior goalkeeper Alysa Xavier, but Talbot was able to put the rebound home to give the Golden Flashes a 2-1 victory.

Miami finished the game with a 10-9 shot advantage and a 9-2 lead in penalty corner attempts. Portugal led the `Hawks with four shots, while Xavier made four saves in net.

The RedHawks return to action on Sunday when they host third-ranked North Carolina at 1 p.m.