Search Results
Below are your search results. You can also try a Basic Search.
(10/28/05 4:00am)
This is a column that could probably run on the sports page. But it
fits better here.
With the recent visit by an NCAA recertification team, CMU was told
it must add another women’s sport by 2010.
CMU continues to maintain that Title IX is important to the
institution, and officials say they will strive to improve the
opportunities for women athletes on campus.
But is CMU really as supportive of the historic equal rights
legislation as it claims to be? Doubtful.
A recent look into how women’s sports have been treated reveals the
truth behind the matter.
Kelly/Shorts Stadium was in dire need of a new playing surface
heading into last season.
There were visible tears and divots in the turf, and safety was
becoming an issue.
So after the Board of Trustees approved $639,000, and bids for the
job began pouring in. However, it was in the final stages of decisions
that CMU sealed its fate.
The Athletics Department had its sights on two different types of
synthetic grass surfaces. Both had a similar rubber and sand base.
And with that narrow vision, CMU began digging its own Title
IX grave.
With the synthetic surface selection CMU’s field hockey team no
longer had a place to play because the NCAA mandates that Division I
field hockey be played on Astroturf.
But the important fact that people quickly forgot was that there
never was a plan for the field hockey team until after FieldTurf was
approved for installation.
Longtime coach Cristy Freese was told her team could play all its
games on the road or they could play at a nearby facility with turf.
But all was saved when All Mighty Athletics Director Herb Deromedi
(sarcastic emphasis added) came to the rescue and asked the trustees
for funding for a new field hockey facility.
The board took the Athletics Department’s bait – hook, line and
sinker, and a new field hockey complex was approved.
Except the field hockey team was given the shaft once again when
construction went longer than expected, and three of the team’s seven
home games were played in East Lansing.
Now in its second season on the field, Freese’s team doesn’t even
have adequate stands and CMU’s athletics Web site,
www.cmuchippewas.com, still says the team plays at Kelly/Shorts.
A new $650,000 field was built, but that is where the perks ended
for the field hockey team.
Problems for women’s sports don’t end there. The gymnastics team
recently had to cut two competitions from its schedule because it
didn’t have enough funding.
And it isn’t like the team isn’t trying.
Coach Jerry Reighard has his gymnasts out selling raffle tickers for
$10 during tailgating and home football games.
And now another women’s sport must be added.
Hopefully all involved with the new sport don’t get the cold
shoulder that is becoming all too familiar for women’s athletics at CMU.
Dominic Adams can be reached for comment at news@cm-life.com.
(10/26/05 4:00am)
A blowout loss to Ball State Saturday left senior midfielder Erica
Takach questioning the field hockey team’s effort.
Takach said the Chippewas did not play with the sense of urgency
they needed.
“Half of the team gave up,” she said. “We need to play hard and not
give up. We didn’t lose as a team.”
Now, the Chippewas are relegated to a spoiler role for the final
weekend of the regular season.
CMU entered last weekend with a 3-3 record in the Mid-American
Conference, trailing Kent State, Ohio and Miami.
The Chippewas avenged an earlier loss to the RedHawks Friday with a
2-1 overtime win and appeared to be headed for a weekend sweep.
However, Ball State used five second-half goals to dash CMU’s MAC title
hopes.
Coach Cristy Freese is looking for her team to forget about the loss
to the Cardinals and have a strong finish to the regular season against
the top two teams in the MAC.
“We’re still shooting for two wins,” Freese said. “This weekend
we’re working on being the spoiler and getting a high seed (for the MAC
tournament).”
CMU (7-10, 4-4 in the MAC) will host Kent State (6-12, 6-2) at 2
p.m. Friday and Ohio (8-9, 6-3) at 11 a.m. Saturday. The Chippewas can
still tie the Golden Flashes for first place, but would need to win out
and have Kent State lose its remaining two games.
Takach said the team had an intense practice Monday. Freese agreed
and said the Chippewas have already moved on following the Ball State
loss.
“We had a good practice today,” Freese said. “We put the loss behind
us.”
Notes: Takach has been selected to play in the National Field Hockey
Coaches Association North/South Senior All-Star Game Nov. 19 at
Louisville, Ky.
Takach, who will be on the North team, leads the team in assists
with 11 and is second with 17 points.
“It’s definitely an honor,” she said. “To play against some of the
top players in the country will be a great opportunity.”
(10/24/05 4:00am)
Ball State dealt CMU’s field hockey team a crushing loss Saturday.
The Cardinals not only shut out the Chippewas 6-0, but also put a
major dent in their Mid-American Conference title hopes with the win.
The loss was especially tough considering CMU was coming off a
crucial 2-1 overtime win against Miami Friday.
“Everybody broke down,” said freshman Kelly Jordan, who had three
shots on goal against the Cardinals. “It wasn’t just one thing. We had
a bad day.”
Coach Cristy Freese said the team needed to win its remaining four
MAC games and needed some help for a chance at a championship.
Neither happened.
MAC front-runners Ohio and Kent State both had wins against Missouri
State this weekend to distance themselves from CMU.
It is now 7-10 overall and 4-4 in the MAC.
Up Next
The team hosts Kent State Friday at 2 p.m.
Ball State jumped out to a 1-0 lead when junior Lindsay Quay netted
her first of three goals in the game. The Cardinals didn’t sit on their
1-0 halftime lead, posting five goals in the second half to pull away.
Ball State senior goalkeeper Tracy Bannister kept the Chippewas off the
scoreboard with seven saves. CMU was shut out for the third time this
season.
“We didn’t play very well,” Freese said. “We didn’t play well
offensively or defensively.”
The Chippewas avenged a loss to the RedHawks earlier in the season
Friday, ending their four-game losing streak. CMU also picked up its
first road win of the season.
Junior Alicia Balanesi tallied the game-winning goal on a breakaway
in overtime, her team-high eighth of the season. Senior Alisa Folk also
notched a goal and junior goalkeeper Danielle Frank made five saves for
CMU.
The team hosts Kent State Friday at 2 p.m.
(10/21/05 4:00am)
Time is running out for the soccer team to catch Western Michigan in
the Mid-American Conference standings.
(10/21/05 4:00am)
The field hockey team has a shot at a Mid-American Conference title.
But it’s a long shot at best.
Coach Cristy Freese said the team needs to win out and have some
help, to have a shot at the regular season MAC crown. CMU is fourth in
the MAC at 3-3 and 6-9 overall behind Miami, Kent State and first-place
Ohio.
The Chippewas still have one more game with each of those teams,
giving them some control of their destiny.
“We need to win,” Freese said. “We have four conference games left
to determine the MAC champion.”
CMU needs to end its four-game losing streak even before thinking of
the conference race.
It plays at Miami (7-8, 4-4 in the MAC) today and at Ball State
(2-11, 1-5 MAC), the last team it defeated, Saturday at 1 p.m.
Miami senior goalkeeper Kerri Orr gave the Chippewas fits when the
teams last met in Mount Pleasant, notching 20 saves.
The missed scoring opportunities in the 2-1 overtime loss to
RedHawks are something that have plagued the team as of late. CMU
tallied only one goal in its last two games against Big Ten opponents
Michigan State and Ohio State.
“Granted, our last two games were against Big Ten teams, but we need
to finish our scoring opportunities,” Freese said. “We need good
passing.”
Senior Erica Takach, who leads the MAC in assists with 11, said the
team needs crisp passes in order to produce more goals.
“Basically, we need to pass to each other instead of cracking the
ball upfield,” she said. “It’s not necessary to slam the ball 50 yards
up the field. We need to make a couple of passes instead of trying to
slam it through everybody.”
Takach knows it is imperative for CMU to have some momentum going
into the MAC Tournament, which it hosts.
“We need to win every single game to have a little more confidence,”
she said.
(10/21/05 4:00am)
Freshmen have a hard enough time getting acclimated to the college
game, let alone making an impact in their first season.
Many freshmen at CMU, however, have made the transition from a
high-school phenom five months ago, to gaining respect from their
veteran teammates.
Soccer coach Tony DiTucci has seven freshman on his team and four of
them have played major roles this season.
DiTucci is in a situation where he has 11 scholarships available and
starts 11 players on the field.
“We hope the players we bring in make an impact right away,” DiTucci
said. “We wouldn’t recruit a player if we didn’t think they could make
an impact. We don’t typically have a lot of redshirts.”
Field hockey coach Cristy Freese attributes the impact of freshmen
to the experience they gain playing year-round in high school.
“Freshmen are coming to us with so much experience now,” she said.
“They are learning more on travel teams than on high school teams.”
It takes more than just experience for freshmen to be successful at
the collegiate level.
One thing volleyball coach Erik Olson looks for in recruiting is
mental toughness. He knows not every freshman is going to be a perfect
player right away, but if they stay level-headed, they have a chance to
be successful.
“It always helps to have a few seasoned veterans on the team as
well,” Olson said. “Freshmen make errors, but I certainly think they
can compete.”
Cross country coach Karen Lutzke said female freshmen runners have
an easier time making an impact right away than male runners do.
A women’s race is five kilometers and men’s races are eight
kilometers, compared to 5k races for both in high school.
“We have to be careful with freshmen to make sure they don’t
overtrain,” Lutzke said. “Some runners come from high school programs
that were pretty good and know what it takes to be successful.”
But for as many freshmen that are successful, there are always going
to be setbacks when they are relied on.
“Once your program is established, you can start developing
freshmen,” Olson said. “The talent level is getting better.”
(10/17/05 4:00am)
The field hockey team allowed four unanswered goals in a 6-1 loss at
No. 9 Ohio State Sunday.
It was the team’s fourth consecutive loss.
CMU was out shot 24-7 in the game and converted no penalty corner
opportunities. OSU went 4-12 on its offensive penalty corner
opportunities.
“The difference in the game was the execution on penalty corners,”
said CMU coach Cristy Freese. “We are not a top 10 team and we have to
capitalize on our scoring opportunities when we are playing one.”
The team could not stop OSU’s Lucy Clayton, who scored four goals in
the game.
“OSU was the best team that we faced this season and staying
consistent against top teams was very difficult for us this year,”
Freese said.
The loss puts CMU at 6-9 overall this season and 0-6 on the road.
OSU improves to 13-3 on the season.
CMU is 3-6 against non-conference opponents and 1-4 against teams
ranked in the Top 20 of the NFHCA Division Coaches Poll.
“It is tough when we are so close to some of the nation’s top teams
like OSU, U of M, MSU and other Big Ten teams,” Freese said. “We are
going to play those teams every year, because the tough competition
helps to expose our team’s weaknesses and allows us to prepare for
Mid-American Conference games. Playing an easier non-conference
schedule means long road trips and less competition.”
Ohio State 6
Central 1
A goal from Sophomore Yesenia Luces gave the Buckeyes an early 1-0
lead.
Clayton made it 2-0 when she scored on a penalty corner.
Sophomore Allyson Doan scored the lone CMU goal at the 9:37 mark of
the first half, cutting the OSU lead to 2-1. The goal was Doan’s third
of the season.
“We had a penalty corner and a shot was taken, I got the rebound off
the goalie’s pad and lifted the ball over her into the net,” Doan said.
OSU took a 3-1 lead late in the first half, when Clayton dribbled
the ball through the circle and scored her second goal of the game.
The Buckeyes scored early in the second half, taking a 4-1 lead.
Clayton scored two late goals on penalty corners, giving OSU a 6-1
win.
“The team needs to play better defense as a whole,” Doan said. “The
offense needed to capitalize on scoring opportunities in order to be
successful. Playing great competition like that shows us that there is
always something to improve on.”
Clayton’s four goal performance gives her 32 points on the season,
with 15 goals.
Luces recorded five points in the game with a goal and three assist,
giving her a team-leading 36 points. She entered the game one of the
nation’s top scorers with 31 points and was second in the nation with
11 assists.
OSU’s Saskia Mueller recorded three assists in the game, giving her
13 on the season.
(10/14/05 4:00am)
Megan Nimke (16) and Michelle Huynh-Ba (10) celebrate following
Huynh-Ba’s goal. She scored two in MSU’s 3-0 win against Central at the
CMU Field Hockey Complex Thursday. See Sports for complete coverage.
(10/14/05 4:00am)
It’s hard to score when a team only musters three shots on goal.
That was the case for the field hockey team Thursday in its 3-0 loss
to Michigan State.
CMU recorded two shots in each half and had only three penalty
corners.
“MSU is a better defensive team then they have been in the past,”
said CMU coach Cristy Freese. “We couldn’t get anything going on
offense, our inexperience really showed.
“MSU made some good adjustments at the half and was able to get more
scoring opportunities in the second half.”
The first half was scoreless, with neither team taking a shot until
the 20:13 mark. The only solid scoring opportunity of the half
came when MSU rattled off three quick shots on CMU goalkeeper
junior Danielle Frank, but failed to score.
CMU didn’t record its first shot until 26 minutes into the first
half.
“Our defense played really great in the first half,” Frank said.
“The defense played a great all-around game, except for a short period
in the second half. Our offense didn’t play very well in the first
half,it needed to create more scoring opportunities.”
The Spartans’ leading scorer senior Michelle Huynh-Ba opened the
scoring with her eighth goal of the season at 31:48 of the second
half.
Nearly five minutes later, Huynh-Ba scored her second goal of the
game.
Freese installed a new defensive strategy against MSU. The defense
was impressive for the entire game, except for the 11 minute stretch
when MSU scored all of its goals.
“We executed the defense well, except on the goals,” Freese said.
“We allowed those goals because our defense moved based on MSU’s
players movements, when they should have reacted to the ball. Hopefully
we will execute it better against Ohio State.”
The field hockey team will have another opportunity to prove itself
against the nation’s elite when it faces No. 9 Ohio State
Sunday.
“Typically when we play them it can be a high scoring contest,”
Freese said. “They have the ability to score a lot of goals, but we
also have a goal scoring team too. It will be an interesting game to
see.”
(10/12/05 4:00am)
The field hockey team can redeem itself with a win against No. 15
Michigan State Thursday.
CMU fell out of Mid-American Conference regular season title
contention last weekend with a pair of losses.
An upset of MSU could put the team back on track.
“There is no doubt that MSU is a great team,” said coach Cristy
Freese. “They played a tough game and beat us once already this year.
We have to come out and execute the basics if we want to defeat them.
The team must do a better job of staying low, passing the ball and
carrying the ball with more efficiency.”
Up Next
Who: Michigan State at Central Michigan
When: 4 p.m. Thursday
Where: The CMU Field Hockey Complex
Last time: MSU won 3-1
The team lost to Ohio and Kent State last weekend and is now 6-7
overall and 3-3 in the MAC.
CMU is used to playing nationally ranked teams and is comfortable
going into the game.
“If we play together as a team, we can beat any opponent,” said
junior Alicia Balanesi. “We cannot come out and treat them like they
are a team that we can’t beat.”
MSU won the first meeting this season 3-1 in East Lansing.
The Chippewas were out shot 19-7 and couldn’t convert on eight
penalty corner attempts in the loss.
“We have to execute on offense if we want to be successful,”
Balanesi said. “We need to take a lot of shots and generate scoring
opportunities that will turn into goals. Converting on penalty corners
is something we must do.”
CMU played tough defense in the first half against MSU, but lapsed
in the second half, allowing three unanswered goals.
The team will institute some lineup changes and a new defensive
strategy Thursday.
“We changed some things this week, we are using a more defensive
system now; we also shuffled some players around on the field,” Freese
said. “We have been inconsistent this year, which isn’t good; hopefully
these changes will lead to more consistency and better play.”
MSU is coming off a 4-2 loss to No. 14 Connecticut and enters the
game at 8-5 overall. Michelle Huynh-Ba leads the team with 15 points.
The Spartans have one of the best goalkeepers in the Big Ten in
Christina Kirkaldy. She has a 1.50 goals against average with 63 saves
and two shutouts this season.
The team must keep a close eye on freshman Inge Kaars Sijpestijn,
who is the team’s second leading point scorer and netted two goals in
the win against CMU.
The Chippewas lead the MAC in every major offensive statistical
category. They enter the game with five of the MAC’s top ten scorers.
Balanesi leads the MAC in points with 19. Senior Erica Takach is
second with 17 points and her 11 assists leads the conference.
(10/10/05 4:00am)
Before weekend games against Kent State and Ohio the field hockey team
was in contention for a Mid-American Conference title.
Now it needs a miracle with only four MAC games left.
CMU lost 4-2 at Ohio Saturday and 5-3 at KSU Friday. The losses drop
the team to 6-7 overall and 3-3 in the MAC. It is 0-5 on the road this
season.
“The two losses this weekend takes the MAC regular season
championship out of our hands,” said coach Cristy Freese. “We will have
to win games and hope for some things to happen if we want a shot at
the championship.”
The team had outshot and tallied more offensive penalty corners than
its opponents this season, but it could not do it this weekend.
Ohio’s Torrie Albini scored first to give OU a 1-0 lead. The Bobcats
added two more goals for a 3-0 lead at halftime.
CMU scored its first goal 53 minutes into the game when freshman
Kelly Jordan scored off a rebound. The goal was Jordan’s sixth on the
season.
Up Next
CMU hosts Michigan State Thursday at 4 p.m.
But the Bobcat lead was too much to overcome.
“Ohio really dominated the first 15 minutes of the game,” Freese
said. “We made adjustments at halftime and came out and played a good
second half, but one half of good play doesn’t get it done.
“We have to be more consistent; defensively we didn’t play up to our
potential and we missed a few great scoring opportunities in the second
half.”
Goalkeeper Danielle Frank allowed four goals and recorded 11 saves
in the loss. Senior Erica Takach had her team- leading 10th assist in
the game.
Kent State was scoreless in MAC games before it scored five against
CMU Friday.
It also was KSU’s first win of the season.
Freshman Samantha Sandham scored on a penalty corner for the first
goal of the game.
But the Golden Flashes answered with consecutive goals, taking a 2-1
lead. CMU tied the game at 2-2 when senior Alisa Folk netted her sixth
goal of the season, but KSU added another goal to take a 3-2 lead into
halftime.
It was a lead it wouldn’t relinquish.
KSU’s Britt Van Pelt scored two consecutive goals within two
minutes, putting the contest out of reach.
“Kent State was the best MAC team that we faced this year,” Takach
said. “That team has a lot of talent, but was off to a slow start. We
happen to catch them when it all came together and they proved they
weren’t an 0-11 team. KSU is really good offensively and we didn’t play
together at all defensively, which is why we allowed five goals.”
The team hosts Michigan State Thursday.
(10/07/05 4:00am)
The field hockey team could be alone atop the Mid-American
Conference standings with two wins this weekend.
It plays at Kent State today and Ohio Saturday.
If the Chippewas (6-5 overall, 3-1 MAC) beat winless Kent State
Friday, they will play Ohio, which is 3-0 in the MAC, for a share of
first place.
“We have two very important conference games and wins in those games
will put us in first in the MAC and give us more respect nationally,”
said junior Erin Dottery. “We just have to make sure to take it one
game at a time.”
If Ohio loses to CMU Saturday, but beats Kent State Sunday, and
Miami University wins its two games, there will be a three-way tie for
first place.
The Chippewas will be alone on top of the MAC if they win both
games, Miami losses one of its two games and Ohio losses both games.
One thing the team must overcome is its execution on faceoffs and
closing out the game strong.
“Our team is so talented, we just have to learn to finish games,”
said senior Erica Takach. “If we are going to be MAC champs we have to
execute in the offensive circle and on penalty corners. Our poor
execution late in games is putting us at risk.”
KSU is 0-11 and 0-2 in the MAC and have yet to score a goal in
conference play. It is second in the MAC in shots with 155, but has
been outscored 38-14.
“They are a very talented team that is going to come out and play
tough,” Takach said. “KSU has nothing to lose right now and we have to
remember that.”
Ohio is 5-6 overall this season.
Estienne Coetzoe leads the team with 14 points, which is second in
the MAC. Ohio has four players in the top 10 in points scored this
season.
CMU is confident going into the Ohio game, but knows it must stay
focused.
“We have to make sure to always be talking when we are out there,”
Dottery said. “If the defense can stay low and get some help from the
offense, then we will be successful.”
The team currently leads the MAC in almost every major offensive
statistical category. It has five of the 11 top scorers, including
junior Alicia Balanesi whose 19 points and seven goals lead the MAC.
Junior goalkeeper Danielle Frank tops the conference with a 2.12 goals
against average.
(10/03/05 4:00am)
Senior Alisa Folk changed positions to help a struggling offense for
the field hockey team Saturday.
(09/30/05 4:00am)
The field hockey team knows two wins this weekend could give it a
commanding lead in the Mid-American Conference.
CMU plays Miami University today at 2 p.m. and Ball State Saturday
at 1 p.m.
Central is 5-4 overall and 2-0 in the MAC after wins against
Missouri State last weekend.
“This is a very important weekend for us; we are coming in focused
and ready to win,” said senior midfielder Erica Takach. “We have to
treat every game like it is for the MAC championship.”
MU is 4-5 overall and 1-1 in the MAC. CMU defeated MU in both
regular season games in 2004, but lost to the RedHawks in the MAC
Tournament last season.
This game features the two best defenses and goalkeepers
statistically in the MAC. CMU is allowing a MAC-best 2.12 goals per
game, with MU allowing a second best 2.56 goals.
Game Breakdown
What: Miami and Ball State at CMU
When: 2 p.m. Friday, 1 p.m. Saturday
Where: The field hockey complex
“It will be an interesting game,” said CMU coach Cristy Freese.
“Each team has a very talented and experienced goaltender, but each
team also has a great ability to score.”
Junior goalkeeper Danielle Frank leads the MAC with a 2.09 goals
against average.
RedHawks goalkeeper Kerri Orr leads the conference with two shutouts
and is second-best with a 2.62 GAA. She is third in the MAC in saves
and was the 2004 MAC Co-Player of the Year.
“She is a great goalie, but we have been facing and scoring on great
goalies all season,” Takach said. “We have faced some amazing
goalies this year and scored on all of them. We just have to make sure
to come out aggressive and be tenacious when we are in the circle.
Getting an early goal against MU would be a huge momentum boost.”
BSU enters the weekend 1-7 overall and 0-1 in the MAC.
CMU split the series against the Cardinals last season with a 4-1
loss and a 2-1 win.
The Cardinals are led by senior Chantel Isaac-Smith.
Isaac-Smith is the third leading scorer in the MAC with 12 points.
BSU enters the game allowing a conference worst 4.75 goals per game.
“I don’t care about what their record is or how they are
statistically, those two things don’t really mean a lot,” Freese
said. “We went down there last season and got our butts kicked.
If we are going to be a championship team we have to play every MAC
game like it is a championship game.”
Junior Alicia Balanesi enters today’s game leading the MAC with 17
points. Her seven goals ties her for the MAC lead.
Freshman Samantha Sandham and Takach are tied for the MAC lead in
assists with six each.
(09/28/05 4:00am)
The field hockey team lost its second game this season against a top
ten ranked opponent 3-1 at No. 9 Michigan State Tuesday.
CMU also lost to then-No. 8 Michigan 2-0 Sept. 13.
Coach Cristy Freese was disappointed with the loss, but was content
with her team’s effort.
“We played tough,” Freese said. “We did some good things on offense
and defense. I was especially impressed with the play of senior Laura
Glaza and junior Erin Dottery, they both worked really hard tonight.
Whenever we play Michigan State it is usually a shootout, that didn’t
happen tonight, which can be attributed to the solid defense that was
played.”
CMU struck first when freshman Kelly Jordan scored at the 30:45 mark
of the first half. Jordan’s goal was her fifth of the season, which
puts her in a tie for second on the team.
MSU | 3
CMU | 1
The Spartans tied the game early in the second half when Inge Kaars
Sijpestijn scored on a penalty corner.
MSU scored again to take a 2-1 lead on a tip-in by Breanna Harpstead.
Kaars Sijpestijn put the game away five minutes later with a goal
off of a penalty corner.
“Our effort was there, we just have to play more consistently on
offense,” Glaza said. “We need to learn from this game and make some
adjustments this week in practice before we play our Mid-American
Conference games this weekend.”
CMU was outshot 19-7 in the game and 11-3 in the second half.
Junior goaltender Danielle Frank recorded four saves in the loss.
Tuesday’s game is the first of two games against MSU this season.
Tuesday’s loss ended Central’s three-game winning streak.
CMU received two votes in this week’s National Field Hockey Coaches
Association Division I National Coaches Poll. This is the second
consecutive week CMU has received votes for the Top 20.
(09/28/05 4:00am)
Field hockey coach Cristy Freese knew when she recruited senior Erica
Takach work ethic would not be an issue.
Takach’s hometown, Duncannon, Pa., has a population of 1,496, and
the nearest city with a population over 50,000 is Lancaster, Pa. which
is 55 miles away.
She spent her entire childhood either working or playing sports and
as a result has become one of the best CMU field hockey players ever.
“Erica is certainly right up there amongst the best I have ever
coached,” Freese, who is in her 20th year at CMU said. “Erica is one of
those top players because she listens to her coaches, she works hard
and she never stops developing her game.
Like many field hockey players, Takach did not start playing until
eighth grade. She wasn’t too fond of it at first, but eventually
developed into one of the best players on her high school team and
joined a travel club team.
It was while she was on the club team when Freese noticed her.
“I watched her play for five minutes and decided right then I wanted
this girl on my team,” Freese said. “She was a great competitor out on
the field and she had excellent skills.”
Her career at CMU started slowly as she only amassed two points her
freshman year. She has since improved on that total and was named
first-team All-Mid-American Conference last season.
Takach has been consistent this season even after changing positions.
“Switching to center-mid meant I would have to become more of a
passer and more efficient on defense,” she said. “At the beginning of
the season I was a little uncomfortable, but I feel good now. Having
great teammates around me really helped make the transition smoother.”
She currently leads the MAC in assists with six and has two
game-winning goals.
“Erica has the ability to beat someone one-on-one with the ball,”
Freese said. “She can really beat anyone she wants, she just has to
remember that. She also has a great talent for reading the field.”
As a senior captain Takach said she has no problem criticizing or
encouraging her teammates.
“I don’t feel it is good to hide things from people,” she said. “If
someone is playing awesome, then I will them, and if someone messes up,
I make sure they know about it. But in the end I make sure they know it
is no big deal and to keep playing hard.”
(09/28/05 4:00am)
Let me begin by saying that the Graham death and the resulting criminal
charges are unfortunate.
It was horrible that someone, particularly a CMU student, died at
the hands of others. It is almost incomprehensible that some otherwise
decent people are now facing murder (!) charges.
This whole incident is tragic for the university, the community and
the athletic department.
It is also tragic that some more black males, particularly, are now
caught up in the criminal justice system and that in all likelihood one
or more of them will do prison time.
I know a lot of people wish they could have that night all over
again. The whole thing is so sad.
On the other hand and with all due respect, I am offended by Coach
Brian Kelly’s blaming the black community and “black culture” for the
national fiasco this will become (See Friday’s edition of CM Life,
“Kelly: Race played role in silence”).
Coach Kelly has ventured into a field of race relations of which he
has little knowledge.
His comments are stereotypical to the point of making “violence” and
“silence” on the part of the players involved a function of their
“culture.”
I think the coach has turned reality on its head.
While I am a fan of football, let’s be clear; it’s not black culture
that teaches violence.
Except for the brutality of boxing and hockey, American football has
no match for teaching violence. Football is a culture of violence. As
the venerable Vince Lombardi was accustomed to say, “Football is not a
contact sport, it is a collision sport.”
If one plays football, there must be a commitment to doing violence
to others. It is taught. It is expected. It is fundamental to the
culture.
Football players at the Division I level have internalized the
violence to the point that it is routine. Football players who were not
willing to mete out violence were cut long before they got to college.
As to the silence, that is not a “black” thing so much as it is a
“team” thing.
These players from grade school on have had drilled into their heads
that theirs is a “team” sport.
Teammates “watch the backs” of other teammates.
According to the Detroit Free Press, this was reinforced in a team
meeting in which the team was INSTRUCTED to be “truthful but not
forthright.”
One could argue that “team” is more the reason for the silence of
these students than their so-called “black culture of violence.”
Evidently, Coach Kelly was not aware of the “silence” in the cases
of Enron, Tyco, Adelphi and numerous other corporations that committed
crimes and then maintained their silence in hopes of not being charged
with those crimes.
To be a good corporate employee, you must be a team player. Are we
to assume that the Ken Lays, Dennis Koswolskis and others learned their
silence from black communities all across America?
I find Coach Kelly’s comment to be offensive. An apology and
retraction are in order.
There appears to be enough racism already in this case without
insensitive charges that attempt to shift blame and responsibility to
“it’s where they come from.”
(09/26/05 4:00am)
Senior Erica Takach scored her second game-winning goal of the
season and the sixth goal of her career Sunday in a 3-2 overtime win
against Missouri State.
(09/23/05 4:00am)
This could be a weekend of firsts for the Missouri State field
hockey team.
It is guaranteed one first, a Mid-American Conference game, but its
other first, a win, may be hard to come by.
The Bears are 0-6 this season, while CMU is 3-3 and earned four
votes in the STX/NFCHA top 20 poll this week.
Central hosts MSU, a new addition to the MAC, for a pair of games
Saturday and Sunday.
“I didn’t even know they were winless,” said senior Erica Takach.
“We
don’t base our play off the other team, all we think about is how we
need to play as a team on offense and defense.”
The Bears have been outscored by their opponents 18-4 this season
and outshot 125-46.
CMU leads the MAC in almost every major offensive statistical
category,
while the Bears are at the bottom of the conference in those
categories.
Central won the last meeting against the Bears 1-0 in 2002.
“They may look like a bad team on paper, but how a team plays on the
field is what counts,” said CMU coach Cristy Freese. “ We are at home
and have the opportunity for two MAC wins; this is a very important
series.”
The Bears have had some success at goalkeeper, leading the MAC in
saves. Bears goalie Kin Kinsch has 55 saves in four games. Kinsch
splits time in goal with Jessica Schuster, who sports a MAC-high 1.39
goals against average.
Melissa Millan leads the team with three points.
CMU watched tapes of its previous performances as preparation.
“Practices went well this week and everyone worked really hard to
get
ready for this weekend,” Takach said. “We are ready for MAC play.”
(09/21/05 4:00am)
The field hockey team gained national recognition Tuesday when it
received four votes in the STX/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll.
CMU’s 3-3 overall record may not be impressive, but it boasts three
impressive non-conference wins against New Hampshire, Virginia and
Vermont.
Two of the Chippewas losses have been close defeats to Big Ten
opponents No. 8 Michigan and Northwestern.
“It is nice to get recognition for our hard work,” said coach Cristy
Freese. “This is something that everyone can be proud of and hopefully
we will use it as a building block for the rest of the season.”
CMU has scored 15 goals in its first six games this season, compared
to 10 last season. The Chippewas hope their new-found offense will lead
the team to a better record than its 8-11 mark last season, a season in
which the team scored only 30 goals.
“One of our goals before the season was to be consistent on
offense,” said senior Erica Takach. “We have worked together on the
offensive side of the ball this year and it has led to big production.”
CMU has shown its resiliency this season losing no match by more
than two goals. The team has recorded two overtime wins, compared to
last season when the team lost its only overtime game.
“The overtime wins were huge this season,” Takach said. “Our
victories and the way we played showed we had the will to win. Our team
must take that attitude and effort into conference play.”
The field hockey team leads the Mid-American Conference in almost
every major offensive statistical category entering conference play
this weekend.
“This year the team has performed better,” Freese said. “Everyone is
playing tougher and working much harder. This is a good group of
players who listen really well and want to work hard.”
CMU enters MAC play with three of the conference’s top five scorers.
Junior Alicia Balanesi leads all scorers with 15 points, senior Alisa
Folk is tied for third with eight and Takach fifth with seven.
Balanesi leads the MAC in goals scored with six and has scored in
five of six games.
Takach leads the MAC in assists with five, which ties her career
mark.
CMU has seen major contributions from freshmen in 2005. The freshmen
have scored three goals and added five assists, compared to last season
when they contributed two goals and two assists all season.
Junior goalkeeper Danielle Frank is second in the MAC with a 3.15
goals against average. Her .674 save percentage is third.
“Danielle has made some big plays this season and is playing very
well,” Freese said. “She is more mobile and has quicker reflexes
since coming off her injury last season, it is nice to have her
healthy.”
