OXFORD, Ohio – Following a tough non-conference schedule, Miami soccer begins its Mid-American Conference slate with a pair of home matches this weekend.
The RedHawks conference schedule begins when they host Eastern Michigan on Friday (4 p.m.) and their weekend concludes against Central Michigan on Sunday (1 p.m.).
Miami (1-6) has dropped its last three outings, with the past two setbacks both coming by 1-0 scores. Four of the team's six losses have been 1-0 decisions as
Lyda Bogdanovitch,
Keara Kerr and
Olivia Winnett all still lead the team with a goal apiece. In six appearances (five starts) in goal,
Izzie Vaccari holds an .811 save percentage along with a 1.22 goals against average.
Eastern Michigan enters MAC play with a 1-5-2 record and 0-2-1 in its last three outings. Five different players have combined for EMU's five goals while Lindsay Shira has added an assist on the season. Mabel Dunn has logged all eight starts in goal for the Eagles and holds a 1.94 goals against average with a .758 save percentage.
Central Michigan has won three straight and is an unbeaten 3-0-2 on the season. The Chippewas' last outing was at Kentucky last Sunday, an eventual 2-1 overtime victory. Alina Miagkova's two goals lead CMU's attack while Zoie Reed has logged every minute in net and has a 0.72 goals against average and .875 save percentage.
Live stats will be provided for both contests on MiamiRedHawks.com.
Free Kicks
All-Time Series: Miami is 13-11-2 all-time against Eastern Michigan and 11-15-2 all-time against Central Michigan. The RedHawks lost to the Eagles by a 3-0 score and dropped a 2-0 decision to the Chippewas last season.
Tight Late: While the results haven't quite been there to this point, Miami has found itself in every match well into the second half of contests. The RedHawks have entered halftime tied or within a goal in all seven contests as it tries to get its offense going.
Youth Will Be Served: The RedHawks boast an incredibly young roster with 20 of their 24 players being freshmen or sophomores. Of the 15 Miami players to see the pitch in at least five of the team's seven contests, 12 are freshmen or sophomores.
Keeping it Close: Miami's non-conference schedule was not only confined entirely to the Ohio Valley, it was nearly entirely in the Buckeye State itself. Five of MU's seven non-conference tilts came against in-state foes (Dayton, Wright State, Cleveland State, Ohio State and Xavier) while its other two (Morehead State and Kentucky) were within 150 miles of Oxford.
What's for the Encore: At 11 players (not including transfer
Izzie Vaccari), 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.
