COLUMN: Covering Field Hockey was exhilarating
As a sports reporter, the first thing you are taught is to stay away from becoming a fan. You’re supposed to detached your emotions from the team and cover it objectively.
Covering the 2014 Central Michigan University field hockey team blurred that line for me. It’s hard to stay detached when you watch a team hit rock bottom and then lift itself up to its first regular season Mid-American Conference Title since 2002.
Allowing 15 goals and being shutout twice in a three-game road trip in California, the Chippewas had rough start to the season. At that point the CMU women had totaled only six goals. It was hard to watch, but harder to report.
The MAC season could not have come at a better time for CMU. The Chippewas made a statement with a win against Ball State University, scoring two goals and shutting the Cardinals out.
CMU started conference play undefeated through four games.
After the women faced off against MAC opponent Longwood University, confidence on the team began to grow. Before a matchup with CMU, Longwood was winless on the road through nine games. In the second half against CMU, the Lancers were up 3-1 and were looking to secure their first road win of the year.
That’s when the official turning point in the Chippewas’ season occurred.
Senior Cayleigh Immelman scored two goals within two minutes of play. Her third was a slow shot that went over the goalkeepers shoulder and in for the hat-trick winner.
After that performance, I started to get excited.
CMU’s only loss in MAC play this season came against Ohio University in overtime.
An overall record of 7-12 looks deceiving. Lost in the course of the season is five of those wins occurred against conference opponents. CMU allowed 55 goals in the season, while scoring 26. Of those 55 goals allowed, just nine were allowed in MAC play.
Kent State Univeristy came to Mount Pleasant having won all of their previous matches against CMU since 2007.
There was no doubt in my mind that CMU would beat the Golden Flashes. I had seen this team come back before and knew this time would be no different.
In typical fashion, Immelman scored the eventual game-winner off a late match corner goal.
Seeing how this team came together to achieve their collective goal was special.
Reporting on field hockey taught me a lot about the game.
More importantly, the CMU field hockey team now has a fan for life.
