CMU to play defending MAC champs, Kent State
The Central Michigan women’s field hockey team will be short two juniors Saturday when it tries to repeat success against defending Mid-American champion Ohio (9-8, 5-2 MAC).
Junior Paulina Lee will miss her second consecutive weekend after having surgery to repair a broken pinky.
Continuing to make an already young team even younger, junior Brooke Sihota will be sidelined after breaking her finger last weekend against Missouri State.
“We’re going on the assumption that they’re both out for the season,” said head coach Cristy Freese.
Lee and Sihota are tied with a team-leading three assists.
Freshman Juliana Makrinos will replace Lee again this weekend and freshman Skylar VanNatta will take over left back for Sihota.
Makinros’ three goals and eight points this season is second on the team to sophomore Erin Dye, who has contributed four goals and 10 points.
Freese worked with the team at practice during the week on its tendency to leave the top of the circle open, increasing pressuring in the middle and to give up lower shots.
“We have to let the coaches worry about making the team better and we have to just work on making ourselves better,” said sophomore Brittany Burga, who will be heading back to her home state of Ohio for both games this weekend.
The team takes on Ohio at 1 p.m. Saturday in Athens, Ohio, before closing out the weekend at 1 p.m. Sunday at Kent State. Both teams are tied with Miami at the top of the standings with a 5-2 MAC record.
CMU (4-10, 2-4 MAC) is fourth in the conference.
“We’ve just got to be strong,” Freese said. “Ohio is obviously going to be a tough game because I don’t think they feel we should have beat them earlier this season.”
KSU and Ohio are first and second in the MAC in shots, recording 17.19 and 14.35 shots per game, respectively. The Chippewas are last, averaging 10.36 in their 14 games.
Senior Courtney Seiders protects the Ohio cage. Her 1.48 goals against average is first in the conference, and her three shutouts are second.
“The Ohio goalkeeper is the best in the conference,” Freese said. “We need to make her touch the ball more.”
Offensively, the Bobcats are led by sophomore Taylor Brown, who has recorded 12 goals and three assists this season (3rd in MAC).
CMU knocked off Ohio 2-1 in their first matchup this season, requiring 100 minutes of play and a shootout to decide a winner. Freshman Bailey McKeon scored the lone regulation goal for the Chippewas, and freshman Simone Lazar added the game winner in the shootout.
“We’ve got some things we’re still playing for,” Freese said. “We want to move up in the standings and if we can play the spoiler role, we’d love to.”
