Field hockey does not live up to expections
The CMU field hockey team failed to live up to its preseason projection of finishing second in the Mid-American Conference.
After a slow start to the season where CMU went 2-4 before playing a home game, the Chippewas were fighting an uphill battle the rest of the year to finish at .500 or better.
The team dropped 12 of its first 16 games of the season. The struggles in part were a result of a slow offensive start, as CMU managed to score 23 goals compared to the 37 it gave up in those 16 games.
“I expect us to come out stronger next year because we understand the effort it takes, which we put in at the end of the season,” said sophomore Lauren Leed. “I think next year, we are going to come out fearless, firing and ready to go.”
When the Chippewas take the field for the first time next season, they are going to be without this year’s class of six seniors, five of which are defensive players. Also, as a part of the defensive overhaul, the team is losing its starting (senior Mel Curran) and backup goalkeeper (senior Kahla Schwall).
“We will be a little younger on the defensive end,” coach Cristy Freese said. “We are going to be losing our starting goalkeeper and a few defensive pieces of our team. In our defensive backfield, counting Mel (Curran), we are losing four players, and that is about 66 percent of our defense.”
CMU ended its season in the MAC semifinal game Friday, with a 2-1 loss to Ohio in Muncie, Ind.
Thinning out
CMU’s only returning goalkeeper, sophomore Anastasia Netto, has just one game of experience, but she has three years of eligibility left.
Powered by its defense, CMU was ranked third in goals against average (2.04), second in goals allowed (39) and tied for second with a 2.05 goals-per-game average in the MAC.
Leed said the defensive losses could help the offense by giving them opportunity.
“I think we are faced with a unique challenge next season,” she said. “This year, our defense has been solid and has been first in the MAC in many categories, but we are going to be losing a lot of defensive players. I think that gives our offense, which was young and rebuilding and was not always on the mark, a chance to step up.”
Senior Kelly Jordan led the Chippewas with 13 goals and 35 points. Freshman Erin Dye came in second with 13 points and Leed had the second-most goals on the team (6).
Jordan is the lone CMU offensive player graduating.
“I think it is going to be fun in the springtime playing with each other and learning each other because there are going to be a lot of fresh spots,” Leed said. “I have all the confidence in the world that these girls are going to step up and fill those spots. There are some big shoes to fill, but I think we can get it done.”
Friday
The Bobcats got the scoring started with a goal in the first half off a shot from Marcy Dull in the 17th minute. It was the only goal of the first half.
Leed scored for CMU in the 52nd minute of the second half when she scooped up a rebound off a Jordan shot and snuck it past goalkeeper Courtney Seiders to tie the game. But the Bobcats added their second goal in the 64th minute, when Paige Herr picked up a rebound from a shot by Dull to close out the scoring.
Freese said while the team lost, it did have plenty of opportunities to change the outcome.
