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Miami Field Hockey loses 3-0 to Virginia

Photo by Ben Mikesell
Photo by Ben Mikesell

By Sadie Martinez, For The Miami Student

Photo by Ben Mikesell

The Miami University women's field hockey team fell 3-0 against the University of Virginia Tuesday, the fifth straight loss to open the season for the RedHawks.

No. 6 Virginia was not an easy match for the RedHawks (0-5), who were neck and neck with the Cavaliers through most of the game.

Junior midfielder Bea Dechant said the team is developing with each game and believes they showed a significant amount of improvement yesterday.

"I think we started really well as a team," Dechant said. "We had a great warm up."

The RedHawks have a slew of tough opponents, with all of them coming from power conferences.

"There is still stuff we have to work on in general and we just need to keep improving," Dechant said. "After they scored the second goal, for us it was more about our legs. We were too tired."

Senior back Shannon Regan said the team has grown more than their record shows this weekend.

"I think despite the losses we gained a lot of insight on what we need to get better at," Regan said. "We are still growing as a team."

Dechant is expecting the RedHawks ability to continue onward with a positive attitude to pay off soon.

"It should be paying off this weekend," Dechant said. "If we play our "A" game and use what we learned from the last game, I think we can win."

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The RedHawks now begin their conference play, starting with Longwood University.

"Playing the No.1 team in the country and playing a No.1 team in the MAC is very different," Dechant said. "I feel like all of the games will be tough."

The 'Hawks also face off against Indiana University in a non-conference game.

"We know we have grown and gotten a lot better and a lot stronger," Regan said. "We are confident going into this weekend."

The RedHawks will continue to do what they have been doing this season on their off days, which is rest and relaxation.

"We have today off and it's all about getting fresh legs again," Dechant said. "Stretching, and not walking a lot around campus is really important."

Along with recovering their bodies, the team is focusing on improvement, and learning together as a team.

"We always look at how the other team plays," Regan said. "But right now our focus is on us getting better."

The RedHawks' next game is 11 a.m. Saturday against Longwood in Oxford. The 'Hawks then play 2 p.m. Sunday against IU at home.