CMU field hockey looks to extend win streak to four
The Central Michigan field hockey team is preparing for the most important weekend of the season.
CMU (5-5, 3-1 Mid-American Conference) plays at 2 p.m. against Ohio and 1 p.m. on Saturday against Kent State at the CMU Field Hockey Complex.
“This is going to be a big test for this team and I’m excited for the challenge,” head coach Cristy Freese said. “What ever happened last weekend proves nothing for this weekend‘s games against two strong teams.”
The Chippewas are 3-1 in the last four games; all of which were against MAC opponents. The confidence of the team is high and everyone on the team expects to continue its high level of performance.
Especially sophomore forward Bailey McKeon after scoring four goals in the past two games. McKeon received the MAC Offensive Player of the Week award.
“When I’m on the field, scoring is not my main focus,” McKeon said. “The team has momentum going into a weekend where we really have to pull out two wins.”
One noticeable absence from Wednesday’s practice was leading scorer freshman Cayleigh Immelman. She is expected to be back to practice and ready for Friday's game.
“I know she is going to be ready for this weekend, but if she’s not, I have no problem switching in players to fill her roll,” Freese said. “Our offense has a lot of shooters and I’m confident we will score.”
The man focus for this weekend is how the defense will react against two high scoring offenses.
Ohio (10-2, 3-0 MAC) is the only team ahead of CMU in the MAC standings.
Its 46 goals this season is 19 more than CMU. The Ohio offense is made up of four of the top eight scorers in the MAC, including junior Cathryn Altdoerffer, who has 10 goals. CMU and Ohio are the only two teams in the MAC who have a positive goals for/against ratio.
“We really have to be disciplined on defense against Ohio,” Freese said. “Good teams like these are going to challenge you and put a lot of pressure on the defense.”
Kent State
The Golden Flashes (4-8, 2-1 MAC) is lead by senior forward Debbie Bell. Bell has scored 12 goals in as many games and leads the conference. She is the all-time scoring leader in Kent State history with 88 goals.
“We are not going into this weekend overconfident because we know we need to play 100 percent,” senior captain Paulina Lee said. “I have high expectations for this team and if we work hard and play consistent I believe we can beat anyone.”
