Chippewas lose 3-0 after holding Miami scoreless in first half
Despite holding its opponent scoreless at half, the Central Michigan field hockey team was held scoreless themselves and lost 3-0 against Miami Saturday in Oxford, Ohio.
Junior goaltender Anastasia Netto was challenged early, making five saves in the first 10 minutes of the game. She finished with nine saves on 12 shots on net.
“I thought (Anna) played really solid in the first half,” said head coach Cristy Freese. “In the second, there were a couple of scrambles in front of the net and at that point it’s harder as a keeper to hold your position. I thought Anna did well in the cage, we just played a really good team.”
CMU (4-13, 2-7 MAC) did not record its first shot until the 26th minute, when sophomore Erin Dye missed wide on a penalty corner. The team was outshot 20-7.
“They’re a very good offensive team and I was pleased at halftime that it was 0-0,” Freese said. “I knew we were making mistakes defensively and they hadn’t capitalized. They did that better in the second half.”
Miami (13-6, 8-2 MAC) got on the board first in the 43rd minute when Mary Hull scored her 13th goal of the season. Kate Snyder got an assist on the play.
Less than a minute later, Snyder put the RedHawks up 2-0 when Hull sent her a pass five yards from the goal. Snyder put the game out of reach in 59th minute, scoring her second goal of the day to put Miami up 3-0.
Goaltender Sarah Mueller made one save in her MAC-best seventh shutout of the season, allowing the RedHawks to clinch a share of the top spot in the conference.
“The team’s effort was really good,” Freese said. “They’ve got to do a better job following the game plan though, and not panicking."
In her first game back after being sidelined with a broken finger, junior Paulina Lee clocked 70 minutes of play and recorded a shot on net.
“She’s playing with an injured finger and it’s awkward for her, but she was an impact today,” Freese said. “Her speed is always an impact.”
The team wraps up the season Sunday when it takes on Ball State in Muncie, Ind. In the last meeting, CMU blew a lead with 15 seconds remaining and lost the game 3-2 in overtime.
Devanny Kuhn scored twice in that game and is second in the MAC with 15 goals and 33 points this season.
Ball State is coming off a 7-0 loss Friday against Miami.
“The conference is divided into two,” Freese said. “Three top teams and three teams fighting to stay out of the basement. Certainly, we’d like to go into the tournament on a winning note and in the highest seed we can get.”
