Field hockey wins MAC opener at Ball State
Chris McCarty
The win put the Chippewas at 7-3 overall and 1-0 in the MAC.
Sophomore Kristy Reed scored just 51 seconds into the game and the Chippewas never looked back. The goal came on a direct shot off a penalty corner, with juniors Allison Foland and Katie Coccia getting the assists.
Senior Meg Lewis, who leads the MAC in scoring, then assisted on Reed’s second goal of the game to make it 2-0 at the half.
“I really thought that this would be a really balanced game,” said Head Coach Cristy Freese.
“We have been really working on taking our shots quicker and I think that it showed on Reed’s second goal, because she took the shot right after she got into the circle.”
In the second half, Ball State scored, making it 2-1. Two of CMU’s freshmen hooked up when Erica Takach scored on a pass from Alisa Folk with a tip behind the Ball State keeper to finish the scoring.
At one point, Ball State pressured the Chippewas offensively and racked up six penalty corners in a row. CMU defended all of those to keep control of the game. Ball State had the overall edge in penalty corners, 10-8.
“I thought our penalty corner defense was great,” Freese said. “Michelle Fogle also did a good job intercepting passes and moving the ball up to the forwards from her midfield position, which helped our offense out a lot.”
Goaltender Janel Spero made 14 saves for her seventh win on the season. The Chippewas were outshot 20-13.
“I thought on defense we shut down their power players,” Freese said. “I also thought we made the most of our offensive opportunities.”
The Chippewas head to Louisville Friday before returning home to play Ohio.
