Preview: Field hockey set to face Vermont in NCAA tournament after winning MAC championship

Miami University field hockey earned a bid in the 2024 NCAA tournament after winning the Mid-American Conference (MAC) championship on Saturday. The RedHawks face the University of Vermont Catamounts on Nov. 13 at 3 p.m.

MAC tournament

The RedHawks entered this year’s conference tournament at the No. 3 seed. This year’s tournament looked different from previous years with six participants instead of four. The James Madison University Dukes, newcomers to the MAC, took the No. 1 seed in the regular season to earn a first-round bye.

In the quarterfinals on Nov. 6, Miami handed the No. 6 Ohio University Bobcats a 6-1 loss. Graduate student striker Claudia Negrete Garcia started the scoring 10 minutes into the first quarter off an assist from junior midfielder Paula Navarro and senior striker Becca Kline.

Negrete Garcia added another goal less than two minutes later off another assist from Navarro and senior midfielder Carlie Servis.

After a scoreless second quarter, the RedHawks returned with their third goal from Lucia Ventos, her first of the season. Paula Peña Martinez brought them up 4-0 before the fourth quarter.

The Bobcats couldn’t come back from their deficit, even with a goal from Dikotla Sasha. Peña Martinez scored twice more to earn herself a hat trick in the final 10 minutes of play and pushed the RedHawks to the semifinals.

The No. 2 Appalachian State University Mountaineers awaited Miami on Nov. 7. Earlier in the season on Oct. 11, the RedHawks narrowly beat the Mountaineers 1-0 with one goal in the first quarter.

Neither team allowed the other an advantage in the first half. Negrete Garcia scored early in the second quarter, but Mountaineer senior defender Jillian Orcutt tied the game 1-1 two minutes later.

Servis gave Miami a 2-1 lead with just over 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter. Orcutt once again evened the score with five minutes in regulation. The game went into overtime tied 2-2. In the regular season, the RedHawks were 1-2 in games that went into overtime.

Five minutes in, a shot from Henriette Schlueter was blocked by App State senior goalkeeper Claire Grenis, but Peña Martinez found the ball and got it in the net for her 10th goal of the season.

With their 3-2 win, the RedHawks were set to face James Madison, a team they had lost to earlier in the year.

Enjoy what you're reading?
Signup for our newsletter

Head coach Iñako Puzo knew going into the final matchup that the Miami squad faced as much adversity this season as any other. Their first conference loss was followed by a 7-0 run in the conference.

“What is very special about this team is the way that they have handled the downs,” Puzo said. “We lost our first MAC competition against James Madison. In that moment, as a team, as a player, as a coach, you have to [decide]: Are you going to give up, or are you going to go for these straight wins all the way until you get [the] trophy?”

Peña Martinez gave Miami an early 1-0 lead two minutes into the game. From there, three saves from junior goalkeeper Nicky Sjouken allowed the RedHawks to hold the Dukes to zero while adding to their total.

Negrete Garcia scored her 15th goal of the season in the third quarter to double Miami’s lead. A third goal from Servis brought Miami up 3-0 until the clock ran out and the trophy was theirs.

Despite this being the RedHawks’ seventh straight championship victory, Puzo says the celebration is no different than his first.

“It’s always very special,” Puzo said. “It’s very difficult to be in this position. The competition is hard. We try to enjoy every single one because you don’t know which one is going to be your last one.”

NCAA tournament

With their conference title, the RedHawks earned a spot in the NCAA field hockey tournament.

Last season, Miami won its first game against the University of California Golden Bears, but fell to the Northwestern University Wildcats in the next round. The RedHawks consistently win the conference but fail to push past the Sweet Sixteen.

Going into the tournament, the RedHawks are ranked No. 26 in the country, while the Catamounts sit at No. 39.

The two teams haven’t faced each other since 2006, meaning the RedHawks are going up against an unfamiliar opponent. Vermont sits at 11-8 after winning the American East Conference championship on Nov. 10.

The MAC tournament showed that the RedHawks can compete with the nation’s best. Negrete Garcia, the tournament MVP, ranks at No. 17 in the nation for goals (15). Peña Martinez made the list at No. 44 with 11 goals.

Stellar goalkeeping from Sjouken will be another important aspect for Miami’s success. Sjouken’s goals against average (1.311) puts her as the 22nd best goalkeeper in college field hockey.

Miami has a chance this year to move further in the NCAA tournament than ever, and it all depends on its ability to continue its performance from the second half of the regular season and the MAC tournament.

“[We] keep doing what we have been doing forever,” Puzo said. “We’re not going to change. We’ve won by playing our game, and there’s no reason to change. We have to stay loyal to what we believe we can play and face whatever challenges [are] in front of us.”

@thekethan04

babukc2@miamioh.edu