Junior’s knack for scoring main reason MU could repeat as champs

Kodiak led the league with 24 points last season, including 8 goals.

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12:28 AM Thursday, August 25, 2011

By Pete Conrad

Staff Writer

OXFORD — Jess Kodiak is an intelligent student who uses that to her advantage while playing soccer for Miami University.

“I’m not the fastest player, but I try to be a smart player,” said the junior forward from Naperville, Ill.

Kodiak is at her best, however, when the goal is there for the taking and she lets a kind of sixth sense take over.

“I feel like I’m able to read the game, predict where people will be and where the ball will pop out when it’s bouncing around in the box,” Kodiak said. “After playing for so many years, it just comes naturally.

“I just kind of feel more relaxed than other players,” she added. “I try to keep things in perspective and have fun out there.”

She has fun, all right, and so do her teammates. Last year, Kodiak led the Mid-American Conference with 24 points, totaling eight goals and eight assists as the RedHawks won the MAC East Division championship.

Her ability to punch the ball into the net is one reason the RedHawks have been picked to repeat as MAC East champs.

“Jess is clearly one of our leaders, a very, very skillful player,” Miami coach Bobby Kramig said. “What has always impressed me about Jess are subtle things in her play. She is one of the most composed players I’ve coached in 30 years. She’s calm, cool and collected in front of the goal, and just puts it away.

“She’s an intuitive kid,” he added, “one of those kids who just gets soccer.”

The RedHawks have played two games and are 2-0, having outscored their opponents 8-0.

Seven different players already have recorded points for Miami, including Kodiak with a goal and assist.

Defense, though, has been the eye-opener.

“I’m just as pleased with the shutouts as I am with our two wins,” Kramig said.

“We graduated three of our four starting defenders, and we have a new goalkeeper (freshman Allison Norenberg), and we’ve had a lot of injuries to our defenders (including redshirt freshman Erin Doone and freshman Courtney Zanotti). We’re very short-handed right now.”

Short-handed but confident.

“You can tell we have tons of potential,” Kodiak said.

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2197 or pconrad@coxohio.com.

Forward Jess Kodiak helped lead the RedHawks to the Mid-American Conference East Division championship.

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