Miami Concludes Regular Season with Critical Contest at BGSU

RedHawks aiming to lock up East Division title and No. 2 seed

OXFORD, Ohio – Having already secured a berth in the upcoming eight-team Mid-American Conference Tournament, the Miami University women’s soccer team will try to clinch the MAC East Division title Thursday when the RedHawks wrap up the regular season at Bowling Green. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. at Cochrane Field.

With a win, Miami (11-6-2, 4-4-2 MAC) would secure the division crown and the No. 2 seed for the MAC Tournament, which ensures a home quarterfinal game Sunday. The ‘Hawks can also win the division and the second seed with a tie against the Falcons and an Akron loss or tie against Ohio, who play each on Thursday as well. A loss or a tie and an Akron win would give Miami the No. 7 seed, sending the RedHawks to the winner of the East Division (Akron or Ohio), who would be the No. 2 seed, for their quarterfinal match.

Miami dropped a 2-1 decision at Northern Illinois last Friday after conceding two goals in the first eight minutes but rebounded to earn a 1-1 double-overtime tie at Western Michigan Sunday, keeping the Red and White in the driver’s seat in the East Division. The ‘Hawks have now gone to overtime in five of their last seven matches after not playing any extra time in their first 12 contests.

Miami’s offense has been its strength in 2010, averaging a MAC-best 2.42 goals a game, which ranks 13th nationally. Sophomore Jess Kodiak (Naperville, Ill.) has led the way with a league-high 22 points on seven goals, which ties for fifth in the league, and eight assists, which is tops in the MAC and one shy of matching the school’s single-season record. Freshman Katy Dolesh (South Euclid, Ohio) is second on the team with six goals, which ties for eighth in the MAC, while her 15 points tie for seventh and are also second on the squad. Fellow freshman Kayla Zakrzewski (London, Ont.) is tied for fourth in the league with six helpers.

Defensively, the RedHawks are seventh in the MAC with a 1.38 goals-against average but are sixth in league play only with a 1.32 GAA. Miami has used three keepers this season with redshirt freshman Kris Gasparovic (Rochester, Mich.) starting 10 games and compiling a 1.01 GAA with four shutouts and a 5-4-1 record. True freshman Madison Ryan (Marietta, Ga.), who started last Sunday at Western Michigan, is scheduled to start in net Thursday against the Falcons, however. She has a 1.18 GAA with a .750 save percentage in three starts (five appearances) and has a 1-1-1 record in her starts.

Bowling Green (4-11-4, 2-5-3 MAC) enters its final game of the regular season needing a win over Miami and an Ohio loss to sneak into the final spot in the MAC Tournament. The Falcons are winless in their last eight contests after starting league play 2-0. BGSU has gone to double overtime in four of its last five games (0-1-3 in those games) but dropped 1-0 contests to the Broncos and Huskies last weekend, the same teams the RedHawks played.

The Falcons rank eighth in the MAC with 1.16 goals a game, led by Alyssa Zuccaro, who ties for the MAC lead with eight goals (nearly half the team’s total of 19). She also has a team-best 21 points, which is second in the MAC. Madeline Wideman, Megan Amann and Zuccaro all have five assists to pace Bowling Green. The Falcons are eighth in the MAC defensively, as well, with a 1.63 GAA. Like Miami, BGSU has used three goalkeepers with Alexa Arsenault seeing the majority of the time. She has a 4-7-4 record with three clean sheets and a 1.32 GAA in 16 games.

Miami and Bowling Green have an interesting series history as the RedHawks hold a slight 9-7-0 edge in the all-time series, including a 4-1 win in Oxford last year. The win was Miami’s first since 2002 over the Falcons, however, and first in eight tries. The ‘Hawks won the first eight meetings with BGSU but the Falcons returned the favor, winning the next seven.

Miami will play its quarterfinal match, regardless of location, on Sunday, Oct. 31 at 1 p.m. Check back with MURedHawks.com for any announcements regarding MAC Tournament schedules.