CMU beats Waterloo College in scrimmages over weekend
If the results from the CMU field hockey team’s first scrimmage are a preview of the season ahead, the team is going to be turning heads.
The young team gained their first bit of experience over the weekend, beating Waterloo College 6-1 Friday and 7-1 Saturday in Ontario.
“We’re trying to make sure that we establish ourselves as a team and that we’re balanced on both ends of the field,” said head coach Cristy Freese.
Offensively, CMU outscored Waterloo 13-2 over both games. Freshman Bailey McKeon performed well in her first time in a CMU uniform, leading the way with a pair of goals in each game.
“I think we all played really well as a team and with new people coming in we gained good experience,” Bailey said.
Sophomore Erin Dye added to the offense, scoring three goals and Emily Girasole netted two of her own. On the other end of the field, freshman Carissa Flocken and junior Anastasia Netto split time in goal, holding Waterloo to one goal in each game.
“Both goaltenders got good experience,” Freese said. “But I think it’s still too early to establish a starter.”
The schedule
The 2009 season was not a season for underdogs, rather the Mid-American Conference standings looked nearly identical to the prior four seasons.
CMU finished fourth for the fourth consecutive year, sweeping Ball State and Missouri State while getting swept by the top three teams — Ohio, Kent State and Miami — in the conference.
The team’s first game is Saturday against in-state rival Michigan State, a team known for its dominance in the Big Ten.
“I certainly think next weekend against Michigan State is going to be very, very tough competition,” Freese said. “But other than that, once we get a couple games under our belt, I think we’ll settle in and play well as a team.”
Following the Champions Invitational this weekend in East Lansing, the team has a month of non-conference games to help them prepare for MAC play.
“The first couple weeks will be critical to develop our team before MAC play,” Freese said. “We’re young and I’m not saying that as an excuse, but as a reality, and we have to improve every day as a team.”
Conference play starts Oct. 1 and 2 against Kent State and defending MAC champion Ohio, respectively, both of which are bringing back the majority of their starters from the 2009 season.
Freese said that while the KSU and OU have had success recently, they, like every team, have their weaknesses.
Kent State has been strong offensively in recent years, but not defensively, while Ohio is just the opposite.
“Last year we had a dominating defense and the year before we had a lot of offense,” Freese said. “We’ve got to find a way to put that all together in one year.”
