CMU looks to keep momentum going against Ball State, Miami
Keep the momentum going.
That is what the CMU women’s field hockey team looks to do this weekend when it hosts Mid-American Conference teams Ball State and Miami at the CMU Field Hockey Complex.
The Chippewas begin the weekend at 1 p.m. Saturday against a struggling Ball State team and finish up with a 3-1 Miami team at noon on Sunday.
“Coming off this good weekend we had, where we played two of the top teams in the conference and showed them we were there to play, I think we have a lot more confidence going into this weekend,” said sophomore Erin Dye, who leads the team with 37 shots.
CMU (3-7,1-1 MAC) lost its first conference game 2-0 to Kent State Friday, but bounced back Saturday in a game against Ohio that required two overtimes and penalty strokes to determine a victor.
The team was outshot by Kent State 18-5 and Ohio 19-16, a pattern that has become an almost regular occurrence through the first 10 games, putting extra pressure on junior goalkeeper Anastasia Netto.
Her 65 saves on the season ranks second in the MAC, two behind Ohio’s Courtney Seiders’ 67, who has played in four more games than Netto. CMU leads the MAC with 8.1 in saves per game.
“A lot of it is individual defense, just getting beat in the forward and midfield,” Dye said. “We’ve just got to prevent that and give our defense something better to work with.”
This weekend will be key in the team’s run for the conference title, and the team knows that.
“Ball State is going to be a tough opponent and Miami will be tough on our defense because they always have a strong offense,” said head coach Cristy Freese.
Ball State (4-6, 1-3 MAC) is led offensively by junior Devanny Kuhn, who leads the MAC with her 21 points, and junior Gretchen Lulow, who leads the conference with six assists.
Miami (8-4, 3-1 MAC) sits atop the MAC standings and hopes to add to its three-game win streak, during which freshman goalkeeper Sarah Mueller recorded two of her MAC-leading four shutouts this season. She leads the conference with a 1.35 goals against average.
Led by forward Jackie Nguyen, the Red Hawks are first in the MAC in goals per game (3.09).
Nguyen, in her junior season, leads the conference in goals (nine) and is second in points (20).
“It’s a big weekend,” Freese said. “Because we’re in the conference, every win’s important.”
