Freese has high expectations for field hockey
“Experience is the goal with Ana (Netto) as a fifth-year senior and the fact that we’ve got nine returning starters," she said. "Those types of things should really help when you’re trying to win a championship.”
The Chippewas have a home schedule that matches, if not surpasses, the excitement of the home schedule the Central Michigan football team has.
Big Ten schools including Iowa, Michigan and Michigan State will be coming to Mount Pleasant this season, as well as Ohio and Kent State, who faced off in the Mid-American Conference Championship game.
Freese pointed out that the last two conference games, which are at home against Kent State and Ohio, could be MAC-title-clinching games.
This is for the best for the Chippewas, considering they were 6-3 at home and 1-6 on the road last season. Their only conference games on the road this season are against bottom dwellers Ball State and Missouri State.
Freese speaks highly of senior goalkeeper Netto, who was second in the MAC in shutouts with three in 2011. CMU also returns MAC Freshman of the Year Cayleigh Immelman, who has more experience than her sophomore status implies.
Immelman, 20, played for the Old Grey Premier A team from 2009 to 2011 under her father, Robert Immelman. She had a team-leading 12 goals and added nine assists in her first year at CMU.
She is not the only scorer on the team. Freese said the number of players who can tally goals is one of the team’s strengths. Erin Dye, Juliana Makrinos and Bailey McKeon, the second through fourth leading scorers respectively, return to the lineup this season.
The team does know where they need to improve, though.
“We just all need to connect on passes. I think we need to connect with each line: defense, midfield, offense,” McKeon said. “I think we need to work on communication.”
Freese was not confident CMU would produce another MAC Freshman of the Year this season, though she said they do not really need one following the first team practice.
“If we don’t have a MAC Freshman of the Year, I’ll be fine with that,” Freese said. “I feel like we have more contenders for MAC Player of the Year.”
The Chippewas only lose Brooke Sihota and Paulina Lee from last year’s team. Lee led CMU in assists with 10.
“Paulina came up big when we needed her,” Freese said. “I think that will be a key to us. Who’s our Paulina Lee in terms of on the field that can really ignite our offense?”
Freese said Erica Garwood could fill that role as a senior, while McKeon and Immelman have strong passing abilities.
