Field hockey schedule gradually gets tougher
Unlike last season, the strength of the opponents the Central Michigan field hockey team face will gradually increase as the season moves forward.
“(The schedule) just builds and builds and builds in terms of every game, every team that we play is just better the next week,” said CMU field hockey coach Cristy Freese.
Concurrently, the Chippewas believe they will improve as the season continues.
“With 8 freshman coming in, it’s always a jelling process,” senior Brooke Sihota said. “I think we’ve done well throughout preseason jelling as a team.”
Also contrary to last season, CMU will not leave Mt. Pleasant to face two field hockey powerhouses to start the season.
In a pair of games on the weekend slate, it plays Saint Louis and Robert Morris, which had a combined record of 4-34 last season.
Following the first two games, a difficult four-game stretch begins in Ann Arbor with matches against No. 9 Michigan and then Bucknell. Preceding, are matches at Iowa and at home against No. 13 Michigan State.
Fueled by a loss to CMU in 2009, Michigan beat CMU 4-0 last year, on its way to a Big Ten Tournament championship.
“(Michigan’s) a very good passing team,” Freese said. “There going to try to push you around and push you off the ball, so I think we need to be strong on the ball physically.”
The Spartans will make a return to Mt. Pleasant for the first time in three years.
CMU has lost four of the last five matches against the Spartans, but every match won by MSU was by a two-goal margin.
The Chippewas last victory against MSU came in 2007 when Kim Sihota pushed the ball past the goalie in the final minutes of the match to beat the Spartans 3-2.
Brooke Sihota doesn’t want to look too far ahead on the schedule, but said she is looking forward to the annual matchup.
“They’re always a fun challenge for us,” she said. “It’s always a good battle between two Michigan teams.”
CMU begins the conference schedule with two road games. After that the Chippewas will play six consecutive games at home.
The home stretch includes Mid-American Conference champion Kent State, which outscored CMU 14-3 in three matches last season.
“That’s going to be really key for us,” Freese said. “What I’m looking out of that is six wins. If we have six wins we’re controlling our own destiny.”
CMU finishes the season with four road games.
It includes two matches in Durham, N.C. against Appalachian State and No. 15 Duke.
“In some ways, that’s an exciting non-conference trip for us,” Freese said.
Freese looks for Duke to bring a balance of speed and passing, while making few mistakes.
“If were gonna compete and score against them, were going to have to do it because of what we do, instead of what they don’t do,” she said.
The Chippewas close the season against Ohio, the MAC Tournament host.
