COLUMN: Field hockey positioned well for now and 2012 season

Seniors Brooke Sihota and Paulina Lee of the Central Michigan field hockey team play their final home game in their college careers this weekend.

They have played valiantly amidst a number of young teammates in a program that should still contend for the future.

Lee has aided the offensive side of the field with a team-leading six assists and two goals this season and was a recipient of the Bill Boyden award for her efforts on and off the field.

Sihota has tallied two goals and two assists. Her defensive prowess has been her means of providing support to the team. She was also awarded defensive player of the week on one occasion this season.

Despite Sihota’s defensive abilities and Lee’s multi-dimensional skills, the team’s chances in 2012 will be as good as any to win the Mid-American Conference regular season championship that has eluded the Chippewas for nine years.

Chippewas goalkeeper Anastasia Netto will be entering her fifth year. This season she has transformed into a new and improved goalie allowing 1.86 goals per game, which is .82 lower than last season.

CMU has a plethora of scorers returning next year. Soon to be senior Erin Dye has been mediocre this season, but looks to return to form.

Experienced freshman Cayleigh Immelman returns. She continues to find herself at the right place at the right time.

Her one-on-one skills have shined.

On an island in Saturday’s game with an opposing player and goalie in front of her, she showed the skills of a basketball player who uses a crossover on a guard and follows by flicking a layup over a forward.

Winning championships is a three-step process: The coach must first incorporate the system into the minds of a majority of the team, the team must compete against the best and subsequently, it must beat the best.

“We’re trying to position our team to not only push for that conference championship this year, but win the conference in 2012,” Freese said at the beginning of the season.

It appears that the Chippewas will do just that next season based on this year’s results. They have lost by more than one goal in only two of their seven defeats.