Nov. 4, 2015
Game Notes | | Live Stream | 2015 MAC Championship Central | Follow @MSUBearsFHockey
SPRINGFIELD - Missouri State makes its first appearance at the Mid-American Conference Tournament since 2011, as the No.3-seeded Bears take on the No. 2-seed Miami RedHawks at 1 p.m. CST Friday, Nov. 6, at the CMU Field Hockey Complex in Mount Pleasant, Michigan.
The two squads meet in the MAC Championship semifinals, with first-seed Kent State facing four-seed Ohio at 10:30 a.m. ahead of the Bears-RedHawks matchup. The winner of the MAC Championship earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Glancing at the MAC Tournament
Missouri State, Ohio and Longwood each finished with 3-3 MAC records, but Longwood was left out after tiebreaker scenarios. The Bears earned the nod with their 1-0 win over Kent State -- the co-regular season champion and No. 1 seed in the tournament -- on Oct. 11. With MSU having the victory over the highest-ranked conference opponent among the three, the tiebreaker between Ohio and Longwood went to the Bobcats due to their 5-1 win over the Lancers on Oct. 18.
Kent State enters the MAC Championship as the top seed at 9-8 overall. The Golden Flashes return to the tournament looking to repeat as conference champion, with last season's squad taking the MAC title and winning their NCAA First Round game at Delaware, before falling to eventual NCAA Division I national champion Connecticut. Kent State's opponent in the semifinals, Ohio, comes into postseason play with three consecutive losses which includes a 2-1 defeat to Kent State on Oct. 23.
All three MAC Championship games will be streamed live and also have live stats available. Those links can be found on the Missouri State field hockey schedule page at MissouriStateBears.com or on the field hockey championship page on MAC-Sports.com.
About Miami
The Miami RedHawks are 11-7 overall and finished MAC play with a 5-1 record. Head coach Inako Puzo is in his fifth season in charge of the RedHawks and is looking to bring Miami its third conference title under his direction. His squad is led by five double-digit point scorers, including team-leader Bea Dechant who tallied Miami highs in goals (11), assists (7) and points (29) in 18 games. Alysa Xavier has played every minute in net for Miami, notching a 1.10 goals against average and .811 save percentage.
Miami increased its series lead to 23-10-1 over MSU with a 3-0 win in Oxford, Ohio, on Oct. 2. The Bears won two contests over Miami from 2011-12, otherwise the RedHawks have won 17 of the last 19 meetings.
Weekend Review
The Missouri State field hockey team dropped its final regular season game of the year to Longwood as the Lancers tallied a final-minute goal for a 1-0 conference victory Saturday, Oct. 31, at Betty and Bobby Allison North Stadium.
The Lancers (6-10, 3-3) took their last shot on goal Saturday - which served as the eventual game-winner - with just 53 seconds remaining in the contest. Jennifer Burris took a breakaway pass down the left side of the field from Hollie MacDonald, then found her way into the circle and put a shot past MSU goalkeeper's Feli Heinzel's left to give the Lancers the win.
Finding Their Way Into Postseason Play
The Bears find themselves in postseason play for the first time since 2011, the last year all conference teams participated in the MAC Tournament.
MSU has had previous postseason experience, competing in the NorPac Tournament (1998-2004), the Midwest Independents Tournament (1984-1997) and the Gateway Conference Tournament (1982-1983), with the NorPac Tournament the only one that allowed a team to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. The Bears have made four national postseason appearances in program history, with the last being in 1981 as a part of the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW).
Defense Shines of Late
Freshman goalkeeper Feli Heinzel has had a lot of help from her backline recently, with the Bears allowing just two goals in the last six games of the regular season. The MSU defense has also given up just 22 of its opponents' 35 shots to go on goal, while holding a 36-35 edge in penalty corners.
Scherer Looks to Cement Points Mark
Missouri State looks to active points leader Holly Scherer to help the Bears score against the RedHawks' backline in a meeting for the first time since the 2013 season. The senior forward leads the team with 12 points this year and has team highs in goals (6) and shots (45). Scherer is currently tied for seventh on the program's all-time points list with Casey Bayliss at 58 career points.
Follow the Bears
Check out all of the latest news and information on the Bears field hockey team at MissouriStateBears.com and follow Missouri State field hockey on Facebook (MissouriStateFH), Instagram (@msufhbears) and Twitter (@MSUBearsFHockey) for photos and updates throughout the season.
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