OXFORD, Ohio – Miami soccer's slate in its new look stadium begins with a battle against in-state foe Cleveland State on Sunday afternoon.
The RedHawks (0-2) and Vikings (1-0-1) clash at 1 p.m. at Miami Soccer Field.
Miami dropped a pair of road contests at Dayton and Wright State on opening weekend, though its 1-0 setback at Wright State on Sunday saw MU apply tremendous pressure in the second half, outshooting WSU 10-4 in the final 45 minutes before ultimately dropping a one-goal decision.
Olivia Winnett has taken seven of the team's 20 shots through two contests while freshman
Keara Kerr tallied a goal on opening night at Dayton.
Cleveland State battled a pair of Mid-American Conference schools into double overtime last weekend, playing Kent State to a scoreless tie and topping Akron 2-1 in extra time. CSU was outshot 36-14 on the weekend, but Stevie Holbrook stopped 17 of the 18 shots she faced in net to keep the Vikings unbeaten through week one. Elena Gutlove tallied the game-winning goal at Akron and leads the team with six shots.
Live stats will be available for this contest through MiamiRedHawks.com.
Free Kicks
All-Time Series: Sunday marks just the second time Miami and Cleveland State have met on the pitch. Miami claimed the previous meeting, 4-0, on Sept. 20, 2009.
Youth Will Be Served: The RedHawks boast an incredibly young roster with 21 of their 25 players being freshmen or sophomores. This marks the third-straight year that Miami has had at least nine freshmen on its fall roster. Of the 16 Miami players to see the pitch on opening weekend, seven were freshmen and eight were newcomers.
2017: 13
2018: 15
2019: 9
Keeping it Close: Miami's non-conference schedule is not only confined entirely to the Ohio Valley, it's nearly entirely in the Buckeye State itself. Five of MU's seven non-conference tilts are against in-state foes (Dayton, Wright State, Cleveland State, Ohio State and Xavier) while its other two (Morehead State and Kentucky) are within 150 miles of Oxford.
What's for the Encore: At 11 players, Miami's sophomore class is its largest group on the roster. The bulk of them saw extensive playing time as freshmen, combining for 30 points, 113 matches played and 89 starts among the returning sophomores. The three top minute getters for the Red & White last year were freshmen.
