Warming up for Sunday’s game against Miami, Lauren Stahlhuth will glance across the field and see a very familiar face — her younger sister, KC.
“It creates some family tension, but it’s fun,” she said. “You’ve got to love that. It’s hard because you want your sister to do well, but just not against you.”
And is trash talk a component of the Stahlhuth versus Stahlhuth rivalry?
“Absolutely,” she said. “My parents don’t like to allow it, but it happens.”
KC, a sophomore, is still in the midst of working her way into the Miami lineup. She’s seen time in three of the RedHawks’ games this season, while her older sister has started all nine games for the Bobcats.
As game day approaches, Stahlhuth said the pair begins to cut down on communication. At the moment, the older sister holds a 3-0 lead in head-on competition with two regular season wins and the Mid-American Conference tournament championship last season.
“Leading up to the game, we tend to talk less and less,” she said. “We talk, but we kind of keep to just not about field hockey.”
Stahlhuth isn’t the only Ohio player facing off against a friendly foe this weekend, which also includes a Saturday trip to Ball State.
Jenna Green, a freshman who graduated from Emmaus High School in Wescosville, Pa., will confront former high school teammate and RedHawk freshman goalie Abbey Huck. Jen McGill, a freshman from Louisville, Ky., has two former teammates from Assumption High School, Christine and Katie Brightwell, playing for Miami.
Ohio coach Neil Macmillan said with only 78 Division I field hockey programs in the country, players are bound to come across former teammates and friends at some point during the season.
“I think it’s a great thing in sports,” he said. “I think that’s exciting for them because after the game, it’s all friendly and smiles. It really makes no difference when the game is on.
“You see No. 15, you don’t see that person as a friend.”
Marching toward a third-consecutive MAC championship, Ohio got off on the right foot last weekend with wins over Central Michigan and Kent State. Macmillan said this weekend will present its own challenges, both with the opponents and the travel aspect.
“Some of the ideas of how (Ball State and Miami) play and the emotion that they show and the intensity that they give are very high,” Macmillan said. “Ball State is the only one we’re really worrying about right now. We haven’t really looked at Miami.”
“It’s really hard to turn around one day and make any drastic changes,” Macmillan said.
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