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RedHawks lose by one to Big Ten teams

Miami junior back Shannon Regan makes a pass in 3-2 loss to Indiana.
Miami junior back Shannon Regan makes a pass in 3-2 loss to Indiana.

Alyssa Zediker, Staff Writer

Miami junior back Shannon Regan makes a pass in 3-2 loss to Indiana. (Ben Mikesell | Indiana Daily Student)

The Miami University field hockey team faced two Big Ten Conference teams this weekend as they squared off against Indiana University and No. 8 Penn State University. The RedHawks kept both games tight, but fell just short of the victory losing by one against both Indiana and Penn State.

"It was a good weekend, and we only lost by one goal, so it's not that we played badly, but we could have scored more and you can only win games with the way that you play," junior midfielder Valentina Neira said.

During the 3-2 loss against Indiana Friday, the RedHawks fought to make a comeback as they were trailing 2-0 at the end of the first half. The Hoosiers improved to 6-2 after their sixth consecutive victory.

"We maybe gave [Indiana] ten minutes of the game, but after we realized we could win the game, we started to build momentum, unfortunately our two goals did not give us the chance to win," Neira said. "Our second half was just on and we kept the ball on the fifties."

The RedHawks overtook the Hoosiers during the second half and only allowed Indiana to take one shot, while taking 10 of their own. Miami outshot Indiana 13-9 for the game.

Neira was able to score for Miami on a two-on-one breakaway, and she also had the most shot attempts for the game with four, three of which were on goal. Senior goalkeeper Sarah Mueller made five saves in net on the day.

"Against Indiana we started off slow and in the end that ruined it for us because we definitely could have won that game," senior forward Alyssa Logan said.

Once again facing a top ten team in the nation, the RedHawks battled against Penn State Saturday, and held the Nittany Lions scoreless until just before halftime. Miami got on board within the first five minutes of the game on a breakaway from Logan. The Nittany Lions were able send the game into the half tied at one when they scored in the 33rd minute.

"Penn State is a top ten team and we made them work for their win, since we made it hard for them to score," Logan said. "It made us realize that we can keep up with almost any team in the nation."

A foul on a penalty corner attempt awarded a penalty stroke to Penn State, and the penalty stroke was converted giving them a 2-1 advantage.

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Neira and freshman forward Grace Leeker led Miami with two shots a piece. Mueller made seven saves in goal.

Logan said she was pleased with the way the RedHawks adjusted to their new formation and how they changed their press during the game.

"The adjustments we made were awesome, and we had not done that before in a game, so it shows we have good game awareness," Logan said.

Niera said the team is now looking forward to the start of Mid-American Conference (MAC) play.

"We learned a lot during these two games, but we have to keep looking forward and getting ready for our first MA] games and I'm pretty sure we will be ready for the first game," Neira said.

The next match for Miami is the MAC opener, which is against Ohio University Friday. 

"These past few days, we have proved to ourselves that we can do anything and keep up with anyone, and that will definitely give us more confidence heading into the MAC," Logan said.


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