Kinsella to coach against former team
Kim Kinsella finished her last game between the pipes for Missouri State on Nov. 1, 2007, after losing in the first round of the Mid-American Conference tournament.
In her four-year career at MSU, she led the nation in saves per game from 2005-07 and save percentage in 2005 and 2006.
Three years later, Kinsella stands alongside Central Michigan head coach Cristy Freese as one of two assistant coaches. She will take on her old team at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Plaster Sports Complex in Springfield, Mo., and again at noon on Sunday.
CMU (3-9. 1-3 MAC) will be without junior Paulina Lee this weekend after having surgery Monday to repair her fractured right pinky.
“We’ll have to maybe (play) in some different ways instead of relying on the speed Paulina brings,” Freese said. “We’ll have to do more of a passing combination, but I think we have enough players and depth in our lineup.”
Lee is a big part of the Chippewas offense, recording assists on three of the team’s 13 goals this season. In her 12 starts, she logged 799 minutes of play, fourth-most on the team behind Kim Sihota (872), Brooke Sihota (845) and Erin Dye (827).
Freese expects to start freshman Juliana Makrinos in Lee’s place this weekend. Her three goals in 354 minutes of play leads the team.
“How we get ready is different (on the road),” Makrinos said. “At home, we get really pumped up and we’ve got to match that.”
MSU (3-10, 0-4) hopes to break a four-game losing streak. The Bears are led by Casey Bayliss, who has a team-best seven goals and 18 points on 43 shots.
Between their two goalkeepers, Andrea Bain (2-2) and Steph Anderson (1-8), MSU averages a 2.95 goals-against average, fourth in the MAC.
Junior Anastasia Netto will get her 10th consecutive start in net for the Chippewas Saturday. She’s posted a MAC-best 6.45 saves per game average, and her 71 total saves ranks her second in the conference behind Ohio’s Courtney Seiders.
In 2009, the Chippewas outshot MSU 27-11 between the two games, posting 3-1 and 4-1 victories. Offensively, the team was lead by a hat trick by Kelly Jordan, two goals by Dye and a goal by Brooke.
CMU has won all 11 contests against Missouri State since it came into the MAC. The team is 20-10-1 all-time against the Bears, though Freese said the win streak isn’t what matters.
“I don’t think we pay attention to it,” she said. “It’s not important what we did last year or what we did five years ago. We have to respect our opponents on any given day.”
