Video Blog: Coach Kathleen Wiler on a big win at Miami and celebrating the seniors at home

In the first of our video blogs with Kent State Field Hockey's coaches and players, head coach Kathleen Wiler looks back at the team's big win at Miami University over the weekend, including a spectacular highlight of senior Missy Ramsey on a game-changing play.

Wiler also looks ahead to celebrating a big senior class during a home weekend that sees the Flashes host Ball State at noon on Saturday and Longwood at 1 p.m. on Sunday.

Players buying in and accepting roles as team looks for first home win

By Kathleen Wiler

Head Coach

This is a big weekend for us as we return home on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. to face Ohio University and then go on the road the next day to play at Ohio State on Sunday at 1 p.m.

We play Ohio State every year alternating between Kent and Columbus each year. We have a really good relationship with Buckeyes coach Anne Wilkinson, so we always make this game happen. Anne and I are both from the Philadelphia area and we have known each other for a very long time. She coached two of my high school teammates. 

We just go way back, so I trust her a great deal. We try to help each other as much as we can. She’ll call me and ask what we did against a particular team that they are about to play. I’ll do the same with her. Those kinds of relationships are nice to have.

With Ohio University on Saturday, as always, every time you play a conference opponent it is just a dog fight. There is really no way we can ever assume a “W”.  We have been working all week to prepare for both teams, but especially for Ohio. Every MAC game is a rivalry.

This team is also really in need of having a good performance at home. We haven’t won a game yet at home even though we have been playing very well. I’m pleased with this group. They are working hard. They are having fun. They are very talented. I would say we may be the most athletic team in the MAC. We just haven’t won yet at home.

Getting that first win at home would do so much for our confidence.

We have been talking quite a bit with this team about playing in confidence. It is a veteran group, but I think they just want it so badly that sometimes they freak out a bit. We have been talking about that and channeling that hunger into not anxiety, but confidence.

One player who is playing with more and more confidence is senior Missy Ramsey. She had been playing up front, but I dropped her back to the backfield. Since then she has been playing great. She has a great tackle, and she just isn’t thinking too much. I think she really liked playing up front in the striker line, but I just talked to her and said I needed her to do this. She said, “whatever you need coach, you got it.”

She just keeps smiling, and I couldn’t be happier with that. 

That’s a key for us right now. Everyone is buying in, accepting their roles and doing their part for the betterment of the team.

After the game on Saturday we will have a team meal before leaving for Columbus. The team meal will be cooked by Caroline Corthouts’ mother at Caroline’s house. Her mom and dad live in Belgium and they are here for 10 days. Her mom said she would really like to cook a meal for us while she is here, so we are really looking forward to it.