Takach leads CMU against two top 10 teams
Mid-American Conference Offensive Player of the Week Erica Takach leads the field hockey team into Ann Arbor for a pair of games against Top 10 teams this weekend.
Central (2-0) plays No. 9 Michigan today and No. 8 Northeastern Saturday.
Takach received the honor after scoring two goals and assisting on another in CMU’s 5-0 win against Stanford last weekend.
“I am playing at a very high level right now and so is the rest of the team,” the junior said. “We have a whole new style of play this season also.”
Takach said first year assistant coach Earl Marais and assistant Meg Lewis are a big part of the new playing style.
“We have such good coaches and they compliment each other so well,” Takach said. “Coach Marais has brought so much to the team this year.”
Takach has three goals and one assist in two games this season.
Central has dominated its opponents on offense in its first two games, outshooting them 26-9 with a 25-7 advantage on penalty corners.
“We have been aggressive in the circle and have finished some plays by sheer determination,” said coach Cristy Freese.
Michigan boasts a 3-3 record with each loss coming against Top 10 teams.
The Wolverines are led by Jessica Blake’s six goals and two assists.
The last time CMU beat Michigan was 1988, a 4-3 win in Ann Arbor.
Northeastern is 6-1 and is coming off a loss to No. 12 Boston College Wednesday.
Northeastern has a stingy defense led by goalkeeper Diana Nelson. She has a 0.67 GAA and a .840 save percentage.
“We won’t have as many shots as we did in the first two games,” Freese said. “We will have to execute on the shots they give us.”
Takach said this weekend could be a turning point in the season, even though it still is early.
“Winning this weekend could put us on a real high,” Takach said. “When we used to play Michigan we just wanted to play hard, but now we play with the attitude to win. Other MAC teams will take notice of it.”
