Field hockey wins 4-0 against Missouri State
The field hockey team peppered Missouri State with seven shots in a 10-minute span that started in the 43rd minute Saturday.
The last one taken by junior Bailey McKeon gave Central Michigan its first goal of the game and opened the door to a 4-0 rout over the Bears in Springfield, Mo.
“Since we had a lot of opportunities in the first half and in the second half before we scored,” McKeon said, “the energy was a lot higher going into the second, third and fourth goals.”
It was the first Chippewa win by more than two goals this year.
“Right now, I rank it as the best win we’ve had this season,” head coach Cristy Freese said. “A lot of adverse conditions, and I thought our players really stepped up and did a good job.”
Freese said earlier in the week that the field turf at MSU gives it a home field advantage. She pointed out Saturday that the crowd was also raucous.
The Bears, Chippewas and Miami (Ohio) share the Mid-American Conference lead, each holding a 2-1 conference record.
“We put ourselves in position that we can, again, control our own destiny,” Freese said. “That also means they’re all in contention though.”
CMU had 19 shots in the game, 14 of which were on goal.
MSU did not get a shot off until the 32nd minute. The Bears tallied five shots and three on goal.
After McKeon scored in the 53rd minute, Mary Alice Moore had a goal in the 59th minute, Jordyn Brengosz added one in the 62nd minute and Erin Dye, the team’s leading scorer, capped it off in the 67th minute.
Freese said intercepted passes amounted to the goals. Putting McKeon on the left side of the field in the second half also gave the offense a boost, she said.
“Maybe (Bailey’s) coach needs to be a little smarter and keep her on the left side,” Freese said. “Whenever we put her over there, she’s a goal-scorer.”
It was McKeon’s first goal since scoring four goals in the first three games of the season.
The team exits the chaotic MAC to play Indiana and Northwestern next weekend in Evanston, Illinois.
