It was a busy and largely successful weekend for Miami University sports. Football won a must-win game, hockey surprised the college hockey world with a win over a ranked opponent and field hockey held its own against one of the best in the country.
Here’s how it all went down!
Hockey
The vibes around Miami hockey (2-1-1) are as good as they’ve been in a while.
There was a lot of excitement around campus for RedHawk men this year, and so far it seems like that was for good reason. This year’s recruiting class looked really good on paper, with many talented and proven United States Hockey League (the best NCAA feeder league in North America) players joining the squad. The RedHawks have seen great performances so far from key returning players, and some of those new recruits have impressed as well.
The RedHawks were tested this weekend after winning one of two against a decent Ferris State team last week. UMass-Lowell (2-1-0) came into the series No. 15 in the country, and the RedHawks showed well.
Miami won 3-1 on Friday. First-years Artur Turansky and Max Dukovac scored their first career goals in this game. Dukovac, who has looked electric and is tied for the team lead in points through four games, capped off the Miami scoring with this slick backhand score.
Miami scored first on Saturday but ended up losing 4-2. But even one win against a ranked opponent on the road is a nice achievement for a team that only won seven games last season.
Miami only has one more series before it embarks on its grueling National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) Schedule. The NCHC has four teams in the top 20 already, and smart money says at least two, if not three or more of the remaining four teams will enter those rankings at some point this year. Miami starts its conference schedule the weekend of Oct. 28 with a home series against No. 1 Denver, the reigning national champion.
But first, hockey travels to Buffalo, N.Y, Oct. 21 and 22 to play Canisius at the Harbor Center. Puck drops on Friday’s game at 7 p.m., and Saturday’s game starts at 4 p.m.
Field Hockey
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Field hockey (7-6, 3-1 MAC) took two tough losses this weekend. First, they lost 2-1 in overtime to lowly Longwood on Friday. Longwood occupies the bottom of the MAC standings and is one of the worst teams in the nation according to the field hockey Ratings Power Index.
Senior Midfielder Luli Rosso scored the lone Miami goal on Friday. Despite outshooting Longwood 5-2 in the two overtime periods, the bad guys found the net first in the second extra frame.
After losing to one of the worst teams in the country on Friday, the RedHawks had to buckle down for a Sunday matchup with one of the best. No. 6 Virginia completed the disappointing RedHawk weekend by beating Miami 2-1. Sophomore midfielder Katherine Groff scored Miami’s lone goal with just over seven minutes left in the game, after UVA was already up 2-0.
The team has a huge game against Kent State this weekend. After the loss to Longwood, Miami is one game behind Kent in the MAC standings, so they’ll look to hand the Flashes their first loss of the season and even things up. The two teams play at the Miami Field Hockey Complex at 2 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 14.
Soccer
Women’s Soccer (6-3-4, 2-1-3 MAC) had a frustrating week, tying Buffalo 0-0 on Thursday and Kent State 1-1 on Sunday. The ties keep Miami in a pretty good spot in the MAC standings, as only five other teams have one or fewer losses this season. With five games left to play over the next two-and-a-half weeks, it’s crunch time for Miami soccer.
The RedHawks hit the pitch next this Thursday, Oct. 14 against Western Michigan. The game is at home and starts at 4 p.m.
Volleyball
Women’s Volleyball (6-11, 1-5 MAC) continued its disappointing season last weekend.
The RedHawks got swept twice in road matches — one by Western Michigan on Friday and another by Northern Illinois on Saturday. At 1-5, Miami is sitting second-to-last in the MAC East and would need a miracle to have a chance at a championship this year. That said, they’re only a third of the way through their conference schedule, so there’s still time to turn it around.
schmelj2@miamioh.edu
@jackschmelznger
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