The Hawks overcame a halftime one-goal deficit and secured a point in its draw against Western Kentucky on Sunday afternoon.
Senior goalkeeper Patricia Koutoulas came up with eight saves between the posts, keeping Miami within striking distance for the whole game.
The Hilltoppers (1-2-1) stifled the RedHawks (0-2-1) for much of the first half, outshooting them 10-1. The 'Hawks' single shot came from a corner kick, when the Red & White proved themselves to be a dangerous team in the air.
Junior defender Lydia Brosnahan rose over the defense and put a shot on frame that the Western Kentucky keeper saved. At 5'10", Brosnahan will likely cause nightmares for opposing backlines on set pieces.
WKU got on the board in the 24th minute, courtesy of freshman midfielder Ambere Barnett's finish inside the box. The lone goal of the half left Miami trailing 1-0 going into half-time.
In the second half, the RedHawks continued to absorb pressure from the 'Toppers and were able to generate opportunities on the counter-attack.
The 'Hawks generated five shots in the second half, four more than in the previous 45 minutes.
Their efforts paid off when junior midfielder Olivia Winnett controlled the ball from a throw-in, shielded her defenders and slid a pass into the waiting feet of freshman forward Lyda Bogdanovitch.
Bogdanovitch sent the equalizer into the top corner. It was the touted freshman's first collegiate goal -- Bogdanovitch was rated a four-star recruit by TopDrawerSoccer.com.
Steve Roberts - Steve Roberts Photography LLC
For the remainder of the half, Miami's backline rode the momentum from the tying goal and held off a four-shot onslaught from Western Kentucky, forcing the match to overtime.
Again in the overtime periods, Koutoulas was peppered with shots from the Hilltoppers, but came up with three critical saves to hold the score and secure a draw for MU away from home.
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A second team All-MAC selection from last season, Koutoulas has continued to be in excellent form this 2018 campaign.
Despite being outshot 26-5 over the course of the match, the RedHawks defense proved sturdy, and Bogdanovitch's cool finish proved she can be a much-needed force up front for a team who struggled to score much of last season -- the RedHawks were out-scored 35-15.
Miami returns home this weekend to welcome two non-conference opponents, beginning with Illinois State on Friday. Kickoff is at 4:00 p.m.
panzecbj@miamioh.edu @BenPanzeca
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