Field hockey wins consecutive matches for first time since 2014
Forward/midfielder Georgina Minta walks back to her position after the play is stopped on Sept. 7 at the CMU Field Hockey Complex.
To find the last time the Central Michigan field hockey team won consecutive matches, fans would have to look back to Oct. 17 and 19 during the 2014 season.
The Chippewas defeated Missouri State, 3-2, on the front end of those two wins before defeating Saint Louis, 1-0.
Five years later, it's finally happened again.
Central Michigan (2-0) secured a 3-0 victory over Saint Louis at the CMU Field Hockey Complex on Sept. 2. The win comes three days after the season opener, a 4-1 defeat of Colgate at home.
"It's awesome," said second-year coach Catherine Ostoich. "This team has worked so hard. Just to see where we were at the beginning of last season to where we are this season and the progress we're making is incredible."
Freshman midfielder Alice O'Hagan scored her second goal of the season to open the scoring at the 2:26 mark of the first period.
Her teammate, junior forward Samantha Glapinski, padded the Chippewa lead when she made a back-door run behind the defense and toward the goal. She received a pass from senior midfielder Sarah Mesko just a few feet in front of the goal line and buried the tally on the backhand.
O'Hagan scored her second of the match and the third of the season on a feed from junior midfielder Taryn Damm and extended the edge to 3-0 in the third period.
All the way from West Clandon, Surrey, England, the freshman has made an immediate impact on her new team with three goals in two matches. Ostoich said she was impressed with the way O'Hagan has started off the season.
"She's having an awesome start," Ostoich said. "I'm proud of her, she's got an awesome shot and very threatening in the circle. She's come in and not shown any 'freshman fear' so she's been doing a great job and we'll hope it keeps going."
Central finished with four shots on goal and seven penalty corners. Meanwhile, the defense did not allow a single Billiken shot on two penalty corners.
Ostoich said that she was happy with the way her defense has started the campaign in her second season at the helm. She has been preaching an aggressive mindset on both ends since she arrived in Mount Pleasant.
"They're doing a great job," Ostoich said. "It was awesome to walk away from this game with 0 goals against – which was just incredible."
The Chippewas put their perfect record on the line at 4 p.m. Sept. 6 against Big Ten Conference foe Iowa in Iowa City.
