OXFORD, Ohio – A clutch performance on Senior Day has given the Miami soccer team a chance to keep its season going and the RedHawks will see what they can do with it when Ball State comes to town on Thursday.
The RedHawks (4-12-1, 3-6-1 Mid-American) and Cardinals (14-4, 8-2 MAC) kick off their regular season finale at Bobby Kramig Field at 3 p.m.
Miami snapped a five-match winless streak with a 2-0 victory over Kent State on Sunday afternoon, giving MU 10 points in the MAC standings. Although that total sits 11th in the league at the moment, it is only two points out of the eighth and final MAC Tournament qualifying spot, which is currently shared by Eastern Michigan and Toledo's 12 points with Kent State (11 points) also in the mix.
To qualify for the MAC Tournament for the first time since 2016, Miami needs to defeat Ball State and the following out of town results to happen on Thursday:
• Toledo loss vs. Bowling Green
• Eastern Michigan loss or tie vs. Central Michigan
• Kent State loss or tie vs. Ohio
Should all of those results come to pass, Miami would earn the No. 8 seed in the MAC Tournament and open with a quarterfinal match at league champion Bowling Green on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Offensively, the RedHawks scored twice in each of their two contests last week, the first time they have scored in consecutive games this year.
Olivia Winnett's three goals still lead Miami while freshmen
Elle Gill and
Kennedy Gray both found the scoresheet for the first time in their careers a week ago.
Izzie Vaccari notched her second shutout of the year in a 2-0 win over Kent State on Sunday, making 11 saves to bump her MAC leading total to 114.
Ball State has won its past three contests, all of which were by one goal and two of which came in overtime. All 10 of BSU's MAC contests have been decided by a single goal. However, with 24 points in the MAC standings, it can capture the top seed in the MAC Tournament with a win and a Bowling Green loss to Toledo. The Cardinals are led offensively by Nicky Potts' 18 points (eight goals, two assists) and both Sam Kambol (11 points) and Tatiana Mason (10 points) have recorded double-digit points. In goal, Tristan Stuteville has a 0.76 goals against average with an .856 save percentage along with seven solo shutouts.
Live stats will be available for Thursday's contest on MiamiRedHawks.com and a full recap along with possible postseason information will be available on the site shortly after the match's conclusion.
Free Kicks
All-Time Series: Miami is 8-12-3 all-time against Ball State. BSU has won the past four meetings in the series, including a 3-2 overtime win in last year's regular season finale.
Looking for Faster Starts: While Miami has found itself close in matches in the second half, it would like to get off to better starts all the same. The RedHawks have scored just twice in the first half this season and only netted the first goal three times in their first 17 matches.
Tight Late: While the results haven't quite been there to this point, Miami has found itself in nearly every match well into the second half of contests. The RedHawks have been within a goal at halftime in 16 of 17 contests.
Youth Will Be Served: The RedHawks boast an incredibly young roster with 19 of their 22 players being freshmen or sophomores. Of the 15 Miami players to see the pitch in at least 11 of the team's 17 contests, 12 are freshmen or sophomores.
