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Dessfelt Earns Co-MAC Offensive Player of the Week

CLEVELAND – Just one week into the season and the Miami women’s soccer team is already winning awards, as junior midfielder Sarah Dessfelt was tabbed Co-Mid-American Conference Offensive Player of the Week, the league office announced Monday. The award is her first career weekly honor.

Dessfelt (Vellinge, Sweden) powered Miami to a record-setting 15-0 season-opening win over Alabama A&M Saturday. After not scoring a goal in her first two years at Miami, the junior recorded a hat trick and also handed out an assist, the first of her career, on Miami’s first goal of the game. She tallied two of her three goals in the first 16 minutes of the contest and completed the hat trick just minutes after halftime. Dessfelt shot 100 percent for the match, scoring on all three of her shots.

In Sunday’s 1-1 exhibition draw with the North London Soccer Club, Dessfelt also recorded an assist as she set up the game-tying goal with less than two minutes left to play in the match.

After the opening weekend of play, Dessfelt leads the conference with seven points and is tied for the league lead with three goals. She shared the weekly honor with Akron’s Katie Wise, who also notched a hat trick.

The RedHawks return to action Friday, Aug. 27 as they face Chattanooga at 9 p.m. ET in the Lady Govs Invitational in Clarksville, Tenn.

RedHawks Play North London to Exhibition Draw

Zakrzewski nets game-tying goal in final minutes

OXFORD, Ohio – Coming off a record-setting performance in its season opener Saturday, the Miami University women’s soccer team struggled out of the gate Sunday afternoon, but fought back for a 1-1 tie against the North London Galaxy Soccer Club in an exhibition match at Miami Soccer Field. The teams played three 30-minute periods as opposed to the normal 45-minute halves.

Both sides struggled to find the back of the net in the opening 30 minutes despite the Galaxy controlling much of the first period and holding a 3-1 edge in shots, but neither side put a shot on target.

The RedHawks (1-0) awoke in the second period and created multiple scoring opportunities but still could not break the scoreless tie. Miami out-shot North London 5-3 in the stanza and earned a trio of corner kicks.

The Red and White nearly put a tally on the board in the 52nd minute when sophomore Jess Kodiak (Naperville, Ill.) gathered a ball at the end line and crossed it onto the foot of freshman Katy Dolesh (South Euclid, Ohio), who was open in front of the net, but the ball sailed over the crossbar. Minutes later, Kodiak sent in a corner that went over Galaxy keeper Marisa Oliveira’s head but it landed in traffic and the ’Hawks were unable to punch it home.

“We made some lineup changes in the second period and those were pre-determined, playing three 30-minute periods. We had our lineup set for the first two periods before we went out,” head coach Bobby Kramig said. “Other than that, any coaching we did during the game was getting our kids to start doing the things they did yesterday (a 15-0 win) and doing the things we work on in practice and doing the things that will allow us to play well and hopefully win games. When we did that today, it was in five-minute spurts and it needs to be in 90-minute spurts.”

Just three minutes into the third period, North London’s Jessica Bujouves blasted a shot from outside the box that ricocheted off the crossbar, keeping the game scoreless. Dolesh again had a chance to break the deadlock in the 71st minute but her header went over the goal.

The Galaxy finally dented the scoreboard in the 80th minute when Emilie Campbell gathered a loose ball just outside the box, turned and ripped a bending shot into the far, upper corner of the goal that beat Miami senior keeper Rachelle Boff (Naples, Fla.). With time winding down in the final period, the RedHawks were able to pull even when freshman Kayla Zakrzewski (London, Ont.), who played for the Galaxy before coming to Miami, redirected a pass from junior Sarah Dessfelt (Vellinge, Sweden) with her head to beat Oliveira in the 89th minute, giving Miami a 1-1 draw.

“It’s a preseason scrimmage so it’s not so much about the result but more about the performance and I thought our performance was a little bit flat today,” Kramig said. “We talked about it after the game. We told them to look down at the name on the front of their jersey. It says Miami and every time you put that on you better be ready to play. I didn’t think we had that mindset today.”

The Galaxy held a slight, 13-11, edge in shots and a 5-4 advantage in shots on goal, but the ’Hawks earned five corners to North London’s three. Oliveira finished with a trio of saves while redshirt freshman Kris Gasparovic (Rochester, Mich.), freshman Madison Ryan (Marietta, Ga.) and Boff each played a period in net for the RedHawks. Boff finished with a team-high three saves.

Following the match, the teams participated in a penalty kick shootout as part of the exhibition. The Galaxy won the shootout, 4-3, with Dessfelt, Kodiak and senior Julie Thompson (Glenview, Ill.) converting for Miami.

The RedHawks resume regular-season play Friday, Aug. 27 at 9 p.m. ET against Chattanooga in the Lady Govs Invitational in Clarksville, Tenn.

Miami Opens Season with Record-Setting Win

Trio of RedHawks record hat tricks in 15-0 victory

OXFORD, Ohio – Despite having to wait an extra day to begin its 2010 campaign, the Miami University women’s soccer team came out in dominating fashion, downing Alabama A&M, 15-0, Saturday evening at Miami Soccer Field in the season opener for both teams. The match was originally scheduled for Friday, but had to be pushed back a day due to transportation issues with the Bulldogs.

The 15 scores shattered the school record for goals in a game, nearly doubling the previous mark of eight, which was achieved multiple times, including the 2009 regular-season finale – an 8-0 win over Ball State. Junior midfielder Sarah Dessfelt (Vellinge, Sweden), who had recorded no points in her career previously, recorded a hat trick and added an assist, while freshmen Morgan Stallard (Tipp City, Ohio) and Sam Whitmore (Cincinnati, Ohio) each tallied hat tricks of their own in their first collegiate competition. Fellow freshman Kayla Zakrzewski (London, Ont.) also found the back of the net in her first game donning the red and white while handing out a team-high four assists with all of her points coming in the first half.

“We knew it was a good freshman class – very athletic. They’re starting to pick up the system a little bit,” head coach Bobby Kramig said. “Our returning kids did a fabulous job of going out early and setting the tone from the opening kickoff and keeping us organized and disciplined and playing the way we need to play.”

Miami wasted little time jumping on top, as sophomore Jess Kodiak (Naperville, Ill.) found the back of the net just 3:53 into the contest, as she took a feed from Dessfelt, dribbled around a defender and the goalkeeper for an easy put-away. Dessfelt made it 2-0 just less than 10 minutes into the match as Zakrzewski connected with her from the right flank, leaving an easy tap-in for Dessfelt. Zakrzewski then notched her first collegiate goal just over a minute later, as she intercepted a weak clearance by the Bulldog keeper and slid the ball into the open cage.

The ’Hawks added three more goals in a four-minute stretch as junior Krysti Clarke (Scarborough, Ont.) recorded the first of her two goals in the game while Dessfelt again scored with Zakrzewski providing the assist on both tallies. Junior Courtney Clarke (Scarborough, Ont.) capped the outburst 18:17 into the contest, heading home a Kodiak corner kick to make it 6-0.

Whitmore buried her first goal as a RedHawk midway through the opening period, as she broke free from the defense for a breakway after a header by senior Jessica Byron (Elkhart, Ind.). Stallard then tallied back-to-back goals in the 41st and 45th minutes on feeds from Kodiak and Zakrzewski to put Miami up 9-0 at halftime.

Dessfelt completed her hat trick early in the second half off an assist from freshman Katy Dolesh (South Euclid, Ohio), who finished with a pair of helpers. Krysti Clarke found the back of the net for a second time less than two minutes later in the 53rd minute.

Stallard finished her hat trick in the 67th minute, beating the keeper to the ball in the box, while Whitmore and fellow freshman Dani Fraelick (Glenview, Ill.) scored just minutes apart to make the score 14-0. Whitmore then completed her hat trick and Miami’s scoring on a penalty kick in the 80th minute.

“Because of all the early goals it was a difficult game to play,” Kramig said. “We talked about it at halftime. The challenge was to keep our discipline, keep our form and to continue to play good team soccer and not turn the game into garbage time and I thought the ladies did a pretty good job with that.”

The RedHawks out-shot the Bulldogs, 37-3, for the match, putting 24 on frame, while also earning all eight corners in the match. Senior goalkeeper Rachelle Boff (Naples, Fla.), who played the first half, and freshman Madison Ryan (Marietta, Ga.), who controlled the cage in the second stanza, combined for the shutout. Each made one save in the game, with AAMU’s best scoring chance coming off the foot of Adrienne Wiggins at the 13-minute mark of the opening period, but Boff was able to knock down the shot just below the crossbar.

Alabama A&M goalkeeper Linda Aboagye, who came on as a replacement in the 16th minute, made nine saves for the Bulldogs.

Miami returns to action Sunday with a 1 p.m. exhibition match against the North London Soccer Club (of Ontario) at Miami Soccer Field. Admission is free. The ’Hawks resume regular-season play Friday, Aug. 27 against Chattanooga at 9 p.m. ET in the Lady Govs Invitational in Clarksville, Tenn.

Friday’s Soccer Season Opener Postponed

Game vs. Alabama A&M rescheduled for Saturday at 5 p.m.

OXFORD, Ohio – The Miami University women’s soccer team’s home and season opener against Alabama A&M, scheduled for Friday at 5 p.m., has been postponed due to transportation difficulties with Alabama A&M arriving in Oxford.

The game has been rescheduled for Saturday, Aug. 21 at 5 p.m. at Miami Soccer Field. Check back with MURedHawks.com for any possible further schedule changes.

The RedHawks will still play their exhibition match against the North London Soccer Club on Sunday, Aug. 22 at 1 p.m. as originally scheduled. Admission is free to both matches.