The 2021 Mid-American Conference Field Hockey season begins today, Friday, August 27th with all eight teams competing non-conference matchups throughout the weekend.
Below is a team-by-team preview taking a deeper look at each squad as they start a new MAC campaign.
Team-By-Team Previews (In Preseason Coaches Poll Predicted Order)
MIAMI
Miami will look to compete for their fifth consecutive MAC Field Hockey title in 2021 after finishing last season 13-2 overall and going a perfect 10-0 in Conference play.
The RedHawks travel to Ann Arbor to face the 2020 NCAA finalists on the road in a scrimmage before traveling to Evanston, Ill. to take on 2020 NCAA participants Northwestern and Connecticut in the regular season opening weekend. The following weekend, Miami returns home to take on Big 10 regional rival Indiana and 2020 NEC Champion Rider in back-to-back games before traveling to Columbus to face a third Big 10 opponent in Ohio State on Monday. A trip to Virginia to take on UVa and Richmond the following week completes the bulk of the non-conference schedule.
KENT STATE
The Kent State field hockey team opens the 2021 Mid-American Conference fall season with three games in a five-day span. The Flashes face off against Michigan State on Friday, Aug. 27, Saint Louis on Sunday, Aug. 29, and Ohio State on Tuesday, Aug. 31. Head coach Kyle DeSandes-Moyer, in her third season with the Flashes, will have All-MAC First Team selections senior Helena Cambra Soler and fifth year Clara Rodriguez Seto return to the field. Rodriguez Seto led the Flashes in total assists (8) and in total points (20) last season. Kent State also returns their starting goalkeeper, Azure Fernsler.
LONGWOOD
Entering year 14 under Byers, the Lancers will navigate a 15-game gauntlet that features high-profile showdowns against last year's national powerhouses Liberty, Miami (Ohio) and Old Dominion, and a seven-game Mid-American Conference schedule. Leading this year's Lancer team will be a group of nine returning starters, including three-time All-MAC first-team defender Luna Lopez, All-MAC midfielder Sophia Loscher and returning senior starters Madison Nuckols, Rio Weber and Jamie Wright. In total, the Lancers return 64 percent of their goals and 90 percent of their assists from last season.
BALL STATE
Ball State field hockey coach Stephanie Bernthal, who enters her fourth season said that if the team has learned anything from the last year, it's how special being able to complete is. The Cardinals have a lot to look forward to this upcoming season. Ball State continued to improve under Bernthal's guidance last year, driving toward the goal of returning the historic program to prominence.The Cardinals ended the season with six victories, including wins over fellow Mid-American Conference schools Appalachian State, Ohio, Longwood, Bellarmine and Central Michigan. The team also limited opponents to 1.81 goals per game for its best showing on defense since allowing a 1.78 average in 2002. Ball State has a wealth of experience returning to the field this season with 17 letterwinners, while it also welcomes eight newcomers.
APP STATE
Led by seventh-year head coach Meghan Dawson, the Mountaineers will look to build on their 18-18 record over the last two seasons with a schedule that features eight league games and a challenging nonconference slate. App State starts the season with a pair of home exhibitions against Wake Forest (Aug. 19) and Queens University (Aug. 22) before heading to Maryland for a season-opening tournament in which it faces Georgetown (Aug. 28) and Towson (Aug. 29). App State welcomes back 16 letterwinners and eight of 11 starters from last year's squad, including two-time all-conference selection Friederike Stegen.
OHIO
The Ohio Field Hockey team will return to action after a short offseason for an 18-game schedule, head coach Ali Johnstone announced today. Ohio will begin its season with a home scrimmage against Ohio State on August 17. The Bobcats will then go to Louisville to play the Cardinals (Aug. 27) and New Hampshire (Aug. 28) to begin regular season play. Ohio will open its MAC schedule on September 17 on the road at Kent State. The Bobcats welcome back both of their All-MAC First Team members from last season Jillian Shive and Leah Warren.
CENTRAL MICHIGAN
The Maroon and Gold kick off the season with three-straight home games including a pair of Big Ten foes. The season opener is against Indiana on Friday, Aug. 27, at 1 p.m. The home stand continues with Davidson on Sunday, Aug. 29, and Michigan on Sunday, Sept. 5. Both matches are at 1 p.m. CMU went 5-7 overall, 3-6 in the MAC last season and returns eight starters including First Team All-MAC selection Alice O'Hagan.
BELLARMINE
The Bellarmine University field hockey team is set for its first year in competition as a member of the Mid-American Conference this fall as the Knights embark on a full 16-game slate including seven MAC contests. Boisvert and the Knights is that the 2021 roster returns all but one player from last season while adding a solid recruiting class that includes six freshmen and a graduate transfer. Amber Hofenk Jerembo is the leading returning scorer with six goals. The native of the Netherlands will be joined by three additional fellow Dutch players with freshmen Marit van der Bend and Bente Moormann and graduate transfer Julia Doornebos all joining the Knights for 2021.
