Field hockey falls 1-0 against No. 12 Iowa
The Central Michigan field hockey team has given up seven goals, in the past two games only scoring one goal during its current two-game losing streak.
The team traveled to Iowa looking to capture its third win of the season against No. 12 Iowa this weekend, but lost 1-0.
Iowa (5-1) carried a four-game win streak including a 7-0 victory against Brown and a 7-3 victory against Kent State.
Both teams came out playing tough defense and generated scoring opportunities. CMU junior goalkeeper Anastasia Netto stopped a season-high five shots to keep the game scoreless.
The Chippewas created three shots in the first six minutes after the break.
Iowa put pressure on the defense, creating shots and scoring opportunities. Midfielder Kim Scraper shot from the left edge of the circle scoring her conference leading 13th goal of the season to put the Hawkeyes past CMU. Defender Becca Spengler assisted on the play.
CMU struggled to get offensive pressure after the goal.
“It’s frustrating, because we had two or three really good opportunities to score,” head coach Cristy Freese said. “We’re getting good shots and are we can beat higher caliber teams like Iowa.”
This is the second time in five games the Chippewas failed to score a goal. The loss puts CMU in third place in the Mid-American Conference standings, four games behind Ohio (6-1).
CMU held the 13th- ranked offense in the country to only one goal.
“The team did very, very well holding Iowa’s scoring chances to a minimum,” Freese said. “They did exactly what we game planned for Iowa; it’s just too bad we didn’t come away with a victory.”
CMU’s next opportunity to snap the three-game losing streak is against Michigan State at 4 p.m. Wednesday at the CMU Field Hockey Complex.
CMU has lost four of its past five meetings with the Spartans. A win brings the team back to a .500 record while a lose puts CMU’s record at 2-4, something Fresse didn’t want after starting the season with a two-game win streak.
“We don’t have a lot of time to prepare, but this team has a lot of potential,” Freese said. “If we can keep playing a high-quality game, the team can compete with the nation’s best teams.”
The next game begins at 4 p.m. at the CMU Field Hockey Complex.
