Field hockey falls to Appalachian State due to second quarter struggles
Junior forward/midfielder Georgina Minta swings at the ball to send it across field on Friday, Sept. 28 at the CMU Field Hockey Complex.
A rough second quarter was the difference for the Central Michigan field hockey team against Mid-American Conference foe, Appalachian State.
The Mountaineers defeated CMU, 5-2, at the CMU Field Hockey Complex and the two teams were tied for last place in the conference.
Appalachian State (8-3, 1-2 MAC) scored first taking a 1-0 lead before CMU (2-9, 0-3 MAC) freshman Alice O’Hagan tied things up with her fifth goal of the season.
In the second quarter, the Chippewas fell deeper into the hole. Meghan Smart put the Mountaineers up 2-1 early on in the quarter. Ali Williams scored two more goals for the visitors in quarter number two, giving Appalachian State a 4-1 lead at the half.
O’Hagan scored her second goal of the day and sixth of the season for the Chippewas in the fourth quarter, but ultimately, it would not be enough.
Three Key Takeaways
1. Although it was not enough to get the Chippewas the win O’Hagan scored her fifth and sixth goals of the season, O’Hagan been a focal point for CMU in her freshman season. Her six goals are the most on the team and also good enough for top 10 in the MAC.
2. Coach Catherine Ostoich noted that despite the loss, she believes there were positives to take away from the game.
“The first quarter was awesome,” Ostoich said. “We stayed in the game, we kept attacking, we got corner after corner and then we finally scored which was awesome. That’s a huge positive.”
Ostoich also noted she felt like her team was better with the ball against the Mountaineers, making passes with purpose, emphasizing the team finally seemed as if they were “valuing the ball."
3. Field Hockey now heads out west for a two game nonconference California road trip. First, they will take on PAC 12 Conference opponent California in Berkeley, California on Oct. 6. Following that game, the Chippewas will travel to Davis, California for a game against UC Davis, a team the Chippewas narrowly lost to at home earlier in the season.
The Chippewas next conference game is Oct. 13 at home against Ohio. The Bobcats are 4-3 overall and 1-1 in MAC play.
