The Wait is Over: Lacrosse to play first game in program history Sunday at Michigan
The wait for the Central Michigan women’s lacrosse team is over.
It has taken more than two years, but the Chippewas will play in a regular season game as a member of the nine-team Atlantic Sun Conference.
CMU will play at 1 p.m. Sunday in Ann Arbor at Oosterbaan Fieldhouse against Michigan. It will mark the first game in history for the program that was announced in January 2014.
“Building up to this moment has been really exciting, for not only the last couple of weeks but for the last year-and-a-half for a lot of people,” said Head Coach Sara Tisdale. “As a team, we are excited to face a great opponent in Michigan and know that we’ll be able to start our season off at a very high level.”
The Chippewas’ roster is comprised of 25 freshmen and one sophomore. Freshman midfielder Logan Halvorson said there has been a lot of anticipation for Sunday’s game.
“There’s been a lot of energy, especially going into this week,” Halvorson said. “Everyone is just excited to get back out there and play again.”
Michigan begins its third season as a varsity sport on Sunday. The Wolverines finished 5-12 (0-5 Big Ten Conference) last season. Jennifer Ulehla leads a Michigan group that returns 100 percent of its scoring from last season.
“Michigan is a very aggressive team, very fast and very well coached,” Tisdale said. “We have a ton of respect for their staff and the program they’ve put together. They will bring a great product to the field. We’re expecting fast-paced, aggressive game.”
The Chippewas will counter Michigan’s attack with freshmen midfielders Anna Schoonover and Jocelyne Lemay, who were both named to the Atlantic Sun Conference’s preseason watch list.
Lemay scored four goals in a home exhibition game against Findlay in October. The only Canadian on the roster said she is looking forward to learning in her first collegiate season.
“The level here is a lot higher because it is college-level,” Lemay said. “I’ve only played in the high-school level.”
Tisdale said the team will bus to Ann Arbor on Sunday morning and have a walkthrough practice before the first draw at 1 p.m. She added she is anticipating nerves from her players, all playing in their first collegiate game.
“I expect a lot of jitters at the very beginning as we take the field for the first time and hear that starting lineup announced for the first time,” Tisdale said. “As we settle into our gameplay, I hope the fans will see a confident and well-thought-out attack.”
Halvorson said the team has received scouting reports on Michigan. The Wolverines will be led by midfielder Anna Schueler, who recorded 34 goals last season.
“We’ve had a couple of different scouting reports from them,” Halvorson said. “We’re looking at what they do on offense and defense, trying to counter on what we think they’ll do.”
Tisdale said part of having a new roster is teaching them how to scout an opponent. She said win or lose, the biggest success would be to execute the gameplan and to be better as the game progresses.
“One thing we talked about (Wednesday) is what a special moment this is and the reason most of them are here is because they wanted to be a part of the program’s first,” Tisdale said. “This is definitely an exciting moment.”
Freshman midfielder Natalie Bloniarz said “very productive” practices have aided the team in preparing for the Wolverines.
“If we just put our heads to it, we can get out there and get after Michigan,” Bloniarz said.
The game is the first of three nonconference road contests the team will play before its home opener March 11 against Delaware State.
CMU will play a 16-game schedule, with eight games against conference foes. The Chippewas must be one of the top six teams in the ASC in order to qualify for the Atlantic Sun Lacrosse Championships May 4-8 at Kennesaw State in Georgia.
“We believe we have built a nonconference schedule that will help us get there,” Tisdale said.
