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(10/20/03 4:00am)
Junior Amy Kauffman came off the bench for the first time in her career in a 4-1 field hockey home win against Miami Sunday.
Kauffman broke her finger in two places in a 1-0 home win against Louisville Friday, and had to go to the hospital for stitches.
“I don’t know if I saved a goal or anything, but I had my stick down
and the girl went to hit the ball, and she hit my finger,” Kauffman
said. “I came back because I don’t like to sit on the sideline.”
The weekend wins leave CMU at 4-3 in the MAC and 6-9 overall. Coach
Cristy Freese said Kauffman’s toughness showed through Sunday.
“Amy is a tough person, and when we were at the hospital Friday, she
just wanted to know if she could play (Sunday),” Freese said. “The
doctor’s cleared her and she came out right away after Miami scored,
and she did a good job firing up the team.”
Sophomore Erica Takach opened the scoring against Miami, with her
third goal of the season. Senior Tarah Trottier added her ninth goal on
a pass from sophomore Michele Fogle, making it 2-0.
“I thought we played well against Miami, but we can still play
better,” Trottier said. “We executed well in the circle, and we finally
played as a team.”
Miami’s Megan Wiegand scored off a penalty corner on a pass from Angie Snedden. The half ended at 2-1.
Freshman Alicia Balanesi added her third goal of the season 4:24
into the second half, with the assist going to senior Allison Foland.
Freshman Erin Dottery scored her first collegiate goal on a pass from
Trottier to close the scoring.
The Chippewas outshot the RedHawks 23-11, with junior Kristy Reed taking eight shots.
The Chippewas win against Louisville Friday snapped a six-game
losing streak to the Cardinals. Sophomore Kim Ferris scored the
game-winner at 47:56 of the second half. It was her first collegiate
goal, and it was all CMU would need to win.
When Kauffman went out early in the first half, senior Jenny Rosen replaced her.
“Jenny came up big for us against Louisville,” Freese said. “That was what we needed, and that’s why our bench is so important.”
Freshman goalkeeper Danielle Frank made six saves to earn her first collegiate shutout.
With three games remaining, CMU is tied with Ball State and Louisville for second in the MAC.
The Chippewas are at Ohio Friday.
(10/17/03 4:00am)
Field hockey coach Cristy Freese does not care who her team plays this weekend.
(10/15/03 4:00am)
Amanda Papke
Michigan’s April Fronzoni made a push for the Honda Award with a goal
and assist in a 4-0 win Monday against CMU at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.
The annual award goes to the nation’s best field hockey player. It was Fronzoni’s team-high 14th goal of the season.
The Chippewas concluded their non-conference schedule at 4-9 overall, while No. 5 Michigan improved to 11-3.
“I thought we came out strong mentally,” said coach Cristy Freese.
“Michigan is a very good team, and it was a good test for our defense.
We played much better in the second half.”
The Wolverines outshot CMU 18-3, and freshman Alicia Balanesi was
the only CMU player to get a shot on goal. Michigan’s Beth Riley picked
up her fourth shutout.
Stephanie Johnson scored first for Michigan at 20:05 with her sixth
goal of the season. Adrienne Hortillosa scored less than five minutes
later on a penalty stroke.
Forty-four seconds later, Katy Moyneur scored her first goal of the
season, with the assist from Fronzoni. Fronzoni finished the scoring
with a goal at the 56:49 mark.
“It took so much energy just to get the ball back from Michigan, so
when we did, we couldn’t execute very well,” Freese said. “I
think it was good for our kids to come out and play tough.”
Junior Amy Kauffman made three defensive saves, giving her 11 on the
year. Quinnipiac’s Eileen Gallagher leads the nation with 12 defensive
saves.
Freshman goalkeeper Danielle Frank made six saves and allowed three
goals. She was replaced at 27:55 by senior Laura Plese. Plese gave up
one goal and stopped three shots.
“Laura is always good off the bench, and I like her coming off the
bench,” Freese said. “It is a whole different dimension for us because
she is a totally different goalkeeper, and I give her a lot of credit
for always being ready.”
Plese is doing what she can to enjoy her last season playing field hockey at CMU.
“It could be easy to get down on yourself, but I just try to come in
and do my job,” Plese said. “It is my senior year, and if I don’t
start, but I get to play, then that’s great.”
Plese said the beginning of Saturday’s Ball State game is how CMU should play all the time.
“The first 20 minutes, we came out and did everything right,” she said. “We need to have that intensity all the time.”
The Chippewas are off until 2 p.m. Friday, when they host Louisville.
(10/15/03 4:00am)
The men’s club soccer team suffered a 5-0 loss to Michigan State Friday after winning the Northwood Tournament two weeks ago.
(10/13/03 4:00am)
Lynn WloszekThe No. 5 Michigan field hockey team plays at Kelly/Shorts Stadium today having won its last six games.
The Wolverines are 9-3 overall after a 4-0 win against Indiana
Sunday. U-M holds an all-time series lead at 22-14-2, and have won its
last 13 games against the Chippewas.
Wolverines senior April Fronzoni leads the team with 12 goals, four assists and 28 points.
With only six games left in the regular season, CMU is focused on getting better.
“We just need to take it game by game, and continue to improve,” Foland said.
The game begins at 3 p.m.
Ball State’s Afton Hess was too much for CMU’s field hockey team Saturday in the Cardinals 4-3 overtime victory.
“It was an emotionally tough game,” said coach Cristy Freese. “It is
important how we bounce back, because for 20 minutes we were
unstoppable. We have that potential on offense and defense, we just
need to work on putting it together for 70 minutes.”
Down 3-0, Hess then scored three unanswered goals to force overtime.
“(She) is an excellent player, and was able to get some really tough
shots off,” Freese said. “Obviously we did not do a good job defending
her.”
The loss put CMU at 4-8 overall, and fifth in the MAC at 2-3. Ball State is 6-8 overall and second in the MAC at 3-2.
“It was really good that we scored three goals in the first 25
minutes, but we got too comfortable with the lead,” senior midfielder
Allison Foland said. “We needed to keep playing our game and keep our
heads in it, but we didn’t.”
Senior Tarah Trottier scored first for CMU at the 11:59 mark. Junior
Kristy Reed added two goals, and CMU led 3-2 at halftime. Hess then
scored her third goal, setting the stage for Kristy Houghton’s
game-winner 10:11 into overtime.
Freese took a lot of positives from the game despite the loss.
“Everything we did worked,” Freese said. “We created fast breaks,
got through Ball State’s defense and put a lot of pressure on their
defense.”
Freese said she is unhappy with the Chippewas inability to play a complete game.
“We should be able to hold a two goal lead,” Freese said. “We
started playing not to lose instead of playing to win, and in the end
Ball State’s defense settled down and played good against us.”
The Wolverines are 9-3 overall after a 4-0 win against Indiana
Sunday. U-M holds an all-time series lead at 22-14-2, and have won its
last 13 games against the Chippewas.
Wolverines senior April Fronzoni leads the team with 12 goals, four assists and 28 points.
With only six games left in the regular season, CMU is focused on getting better.
“We just need to take it game by game, and continue to improve,” Foland said.
(10/10/03 4:00am)
Lynn WloszekField hockey coach Cristy Freese realizes the impact Saturday’s game at Ball State could have.
The Chippewas are 5-7 overall and 2-2 in the MAC, while Ball State is 5-8 overall and 2-2 in the conference.
‘This game is really big, because we are both tied in the
conference,” Freese said. “We can’t have too many more losses if we
want to win the MAC.”
Senior center back Katie Coccia knows the opportunity CMU has Saturday.
“We haven’t played Ball State, and we can make a big statement by
beating them,” she said. “They’ve been beaten; we know we can beat
them, but we know they can play strong. I am excited because it is
always intense playing Ball State.”
The Chippewas have won six of their last seven games against Ball State, but Freese would like to see improvement on offense.
“We need to do a better job getting the ball outside from the
middle,” Freese said. “Sometimes we just do the same thing, but we have
to add a little variety to our offense.”
Erica Takach played in Tuesday’s game against Stanford after missing
two games with an ankle injury. The sophomore midfielder has two goals
this season.
“I wanted to get Erica in to see how she would be, but I played her
more than I thought I would,” Freese said. “She is so focused when she
plays that she doesn’t let anything like an injury bother her.”
Takach is happy to be back after sitting out against No. 6 Iowa Sunday, when CMU lost 3-2.
“I am excited to be playing against a MAC team; I could not stand
being on the sidelines,” Takach said. “It doesn’t matter that we are
tied with Ball State because we started off the season rough, and we
are getting better as the season progresses. We are confident going
into Saturday’s game.”
Freese said freshman goalkeeper Danielle Frank is making
improvements game by game. She has made 27 saves this season, and has a
2.73 goals against average.
“The nice thing about Danielle starting and playing three entire
games is that I have seen her make adjustments,” Freese said. “But she
is a freshman, so you look for consistency, and if she were to
struggle, I am very comfortable with putting in (senior goalkeeper)
Laura (Plese).”
The Cardinals are coming off of a 5-2 loss to Ohio State. After
winning their first two MAC games, the Cardinals have dropped their
last two.
“Ball State is a solid team, and they are very solid on defense,”
Freese said. “Ball State might have the best defense in the conference.
They get a lot of people back, so if we can’t get fast breaks on them,
it will be tough to get the ball into the circle.”
Aside from the Cardinals defense that only allows two goals a game,
senior forward Afton Hess leads the MAC with 22 points. Coccia said the
defense will be aware of her.
“We won’t change our game plan because of Hess, but we will know
where she is on the field,” Coccia said. “We want to frustrate her
early on, try to shut her down, and take her out of her game.”
The last two games have been non-conference opponents for the
Chippewas to prepare for the remaining MAC schedule, but playing seven
games in 16 days can take its toll.
“The last two games have helped us because they were two different
styles of play, and we played well with both teams,” Coccia said. “My
body got tired, but we are conditioned for this and we knew it was
coming, now it’s just about fighting through the rest of the season.”
(10/10/03 4:00am)
Lynn WloszekIt is unclear which kind of team the club hockey squad will bring to play against Michigan today.
Central has shown two kinds of hockey play this season— one that has
underachieved and one that has dominated. Friday’s game will determine
if the team has improved since season-opening losses to EMU and Bowling
Green.
“It’s not a do-or-die type of game, but beating Michigan will show how strong a team we have,” said coach Dave Goldenbogen.
On Homecoming last year, Michigan came to Mount Pleasant and won
5-0. This year, the Wolverines arrive with a victory against Bowling
Green — a team Central already lost to.
Despite these setbacks, Goldenbogen said this year’s team is better suited to defeat U-M.
“We have a lot more depth this season,” he said. “We’re able to run
four lines this year when we only ran two against (Michigan) last year.”
He also said the team has improved defensively.
Friday’s game also may be a national tournament preview. Michigan’s
club hockey has a successful history which includes an appearance in
the national finals in 2001. Michigan finished 18-11-1 and qualified
for the national tournament last season.
Goldenboger said CMU (2-2) needs to score on the power play. Though
the team has excelled in producing even-strength goals, they have
failed to capitalize on mistakes of opponents.
“Our power-play has to improve,” he said. “We’ve shifted a couple of
things around. Now that everybody is starting to know the system a bit
better, hopefully that will lead to more scoring chances.”
The game is at 8 p.m.
-Josh Vick
Men’s rugby faces MSU
The Central Michigan men’s rugby team is faced with its toughest challenge yet in the last game of the season.
Undefeated Michigan State will visit Mount Pleasant Saturday in attempt to finish a perfect season.
It is a chance for Central to prove it can compete at a high level.
“Michigan State is a great program, if we want to beat them we have
to finish the job and convert our drives into tries,” sophomore Rob
Palowski said. “Our forwards need to lead the way and make the big
plays in order for us to win.”
Central has struggled this season on offense, scoring only twice in four matches.
Unlike Central, Michigan State has not had trouble scoring points.
MSU has scored 151 points in its last three matches. In contrast,
Central has scored only 12 points against the same three teams.
Pawlowki said ball control is a key to winning.
Central has demonstrated good ball control this season, but has been unable to score tries.
Central’s defense has allowed an average of 28.5 points in its last two games.
If Central accompishes its ball-control goals, that will give the offense a last chance to prove its skill this season.
Forwards D’waine Ackerman and Trevor Beales need to make the big
plays that have been missing offensively, said team president Brandon
Smith.
“We have shown that we have the talent to win,” Smith said. “We may
seem outmatched, but this is the biggest game of the season and we are
looking forward to the challenge.”
Although Central is confident it can compete at its opponent’s level Saturday, MSU has a much different agenda.
“There is not a team in Michigan that can stand against Michigan
State, period. We are a more physical team than anybody else, we just
wear people down,” said Michigan State inside center Brandon Maiser.
The game is 1 p.m. Saturday at the Intramural fields.
-Jon Gunnells
Lacrosse team continues success
A 14-3 victory against Alma Saturday did not satisfy the club lacrosse team.
“We know that we can play better as a team,” said club president and
player Jared Venia. “We played a sloppy game, and we definitely should
not have let a team like that score three goals on us.”
The team must play a better overall game, particularly at fielding ground balls, Venia said.
Dave Trebnik led the team in scoring for the second consecutive
game. He had five goals, and has 10 this season. Pat Copus and Joe
Vander Meulen added three goals each. Freshman Pat Calzone played a
solid game in goal, Venia said.
The team’s next game is next Thursday against Kettering University in Flint.
The team is having a fundraiser during Homecoming weekend. They will
be having a “Dunk a Husky” dunk tank outside of Kelly/Shorts Stadium
during Saturday’s football game against Northern Illinois.
-David Harris
(10/08/03 4:00am)
Amanda Papke
Senior Tarah Trottier’s seventh goal of the season helped the field
hockey team to a 2-1 victory against Stanford in East Lansing Tuesday.
Trottier scored 5:51 into the game, making it 1-0. The score
remained 1-0 until junior Kristy Reed scored off a penalty corner on a
pass from junior Amy Kauffman.
Stanford’s Molly Melcher scored late to finish the scoring.
Kauffman protected the Chippewas (3-7) lead late, with key saves on the goal line.
“I really trust Amy behind me,” said freshman goalkeeper Danielle
Frank. “It is good to know she is there protecting my back post.”
Coach Cristy Freese planned to rest some players before Saturday’s game at Ball State.
“We seemed banged up after the Iowa game, but we didn’t rest any
players that needed it,” Freese said. “Early on, we did some nice
things, but later in the game both teams got a bit sluggish.”
The Chippewas outshot Stanford 18-14, and had a 20-10 advantage in
penalty corners. Frank made eight saves, and allowed one goal for her
third win.
Frank was named MAC defensive player of the week after allowing four goals and stopping 10 shots in games against Ohio and Iowa.
“It is really cool because I have never been given an award like
that before,” Frank said. “We played pretty well against Iowa, and
against Stanford we controlled the whole game.”
Freese has been pleased with the defense as of late, especially
sophomore Kim Ferris. Ferris moved from midfield to right back after
senior Allison Foland moved to midfield.
“My defensive skills were one of my weaker points, but (coach
Freese) and the rest of my team had confidence in me,” Ferris said.
“Against Stanford we started out really strong and played as one unit.”
Ferris said she is pleased with the team’s play heading into the rest of the MAC schedule.
“Our team is doing really well, and each game we are slowly
improving,” she said. “It is good that we are playing well because of
where we are in the MAC season, and hopefully we can win the rest of
our games.”
The Chippewas resume MAC play Saturday at Ball State.
(10/08/03 4:00am)
Mike Sherbow demonstrated his goalkeeping skills at the Northwood soccer tournament Sunday.
CMU beat Hillsdale and Muskegon College 1-0 each to win the tournament.
“This weekend we played good soccer, showed we can have a lead
and keep it due to solid defense,” said team member Kyle Phillips.
Sherbow stopped a penalty kick in the the first half of the
Hillsdale game and made two saves in the last 10 minutes of the game.
Center midfielder John Bunting scored the lone Central goal.
The last 15 minutes of the game were played 10-on-nine, picking up
the intensity in the game. Two Hillsdale players and one CMU
player were red-carded, forcing them to sit out the rest of the game.
Central’s momentum continued on into the Muskegeon game. Defenseman
Jared Hoeft stepped up to midfield and scored his first goal, on a pass
from Bunting. Sherbow again earned the shutout.
“Mike made sweet saves,” said defenseman Andy Blanchard. “By the end
of both games everyone collapsed and his good saves pulled us through
to win.”
Central is 2-2 in the MASC Division.
CMU will host Michigan State at 5 p.m. Friday at the Intramural fields in a conference game.
“Last year, MSU was really good and we expect the same from
them. They have an advantage over us, a coach. If we play up to
our ability, we can win,” Blanchard said.
- Katie Maurer
Club Hockey holding date auction
The club hockey team will unlace its skates and tie on its dance
shoes at the first ever Club Hockey Date Auction at 9:30 p.m. Wednesday
at The Cabin, 930 W. Broomfield Road.
More than 30 members of the team will be the date of each highest
bidder. Thursday evening, the players and their dates will attend a
team-hosted dance party, from which more details will be given at the
auction.
Defensiveman Chuck Vaughn said the event is more than just a fundraiser.
“A lot of people still don’t know that much about us. They don’t
know where we play or how well our season is going. We’d like them to
come out, have a good time, and support us throughout the year,” he
said.
While the team hopes the event will help establish a consistent fan
base, it also is hoping to use the proceeds toward funding the team’s
annual budget. The team also wants support from local businesses.
CMU hosts Michigan 8 p.m. Friday at the Community Recreation Center.
- Josh Vick
(10/06/03 4:00am)
Sophomore Alisa Folk’s two goals were not enough as the field hockey team lost at home to No. 6 Iowa 3-2 Sunday.
(10/03/03 4:00am)
Junior Kristy Reed converted a late game-tying penalty stroke, but CMU could not hold off Kent State in a 3-2 loss Thursday.
(10/03/03 4:00am)
Amanda Papke
Junior field hockey player Amy Kauffman has started every game since coming to CMU.
That is 47 consecutive starts and a total of 3,815 minutes on the field.
And every minute has been played the same way.
“I am going to take you down, so don't get in my way,” Kauffman said. “I am hardcore on the field, like a big Mack truck.”
However, it has not been easy for Kauffman to keep her job.
“It has been really hard because you have to be mentally tough to start
in games,” she said. “I have to work as hard as I can to keep my starting
spot.”
Coach Cristy Freese said Kauffman has made an impact from the beginning.
“Amy was a very good player from day one,” Freese said. “It doesn't faze
her to move her around. That shows what type of a team player she is.”
As a freshman, Kauffman started at left midfield, and as a sophomore she
was the right defender. She has been a sweeper and left back this season.
“I am a very versatile player, so it does not matter where I play,” Kauffman
said. “But when you get comfortable in one spot, you just learn to adjust.”
A native of Dauphin, Penn., Kauffman comes from an area where field hockey
is big. Four other players from her hometown play in the MAC.
“It is nice to play people from high school, but they are still rivals
on the field,” Kauffman said. “It's awesome to show them how much better
you are.”
When Kauffman was in high school, she lettered three times and played in the national championship in 1997 and 2001.
“Amy comes from an area where there are a lot of solid field hockey players,
and she was at the top of our recruiting list,” Freese said. “She works so
hard and is a great player to coach.”
As a freshman, Kauffman had a problem adjusting to a new style of play.
“She was so intense that she could not hear other players on the field,”
Freese said. “Now, she is really intense and can direct other players if
need be.”
All she thinks about on the field is keeping forwards from beating her on the stick side, Kauffman said.
This aspect of the game, and not receiving personal attention, are indicative of Kauffman’s unselfishness, her coach said.
“She has such a strong feeling for CMU and for our team,” Freese said.
Starting goalie Laura Plese said Kauffman is vital to the defense.
“I have total confidence in Amy and our whole defense,” Plese said. “She
is really aggressive and always has been. She does a good job channeling
the ball to the outside and stops a lot of fast breaks.”
After a seven-game road trip that left CMU 2-5 and 1-1 in the MAC, Kauffman
played her first game at home against Kent State Thursday, a 3-2 loss.
“We played a lot of tough schools already this season and I think the
beginning of the season will prepare us for the rest of the season,” Kauffman
said.
She said she knows how crucial every conference game is, and hopes
her determination translates into a repeat MAC Championship season.
“It doesn’t matter who or where you play, because every game in the MAC
is big,” Kauffman said. “These games will determine if we are going to get
another championship ring. We need to win these games in order to fulfill
that goal.”
(10/03/03 4:00am)
The club hockey team attempts to bounce back this weekend in back-to-back games against Northern Illinois.
“We’re expecting two wins because we need to get going and get on track,” said captain Rob Innis.
Central lost to Bowling Green and Eastern Michigan last weekend.
CMU is unsure of what to expect with NIU. Though last year’s team was
unranked, Northern Illinois was able to manage a split with a tough Grand
Valley State team last weekend
CMU is without a few regular players this weekend because of personal
reasons. The team will make line changes to compensate.
Though the changes are forced, Innis said they could bring improvement to the struggling team.
“We’re just trying to get some chemistry going on some lines,” he said.
Today’s game is at 10 p.m. and Saturday’s game is at 7:30 p.m. Both games are at the Community Recreation Center.
- Josh Vick
Men’s rugby sweeps weekend games
Shutouts were abundant in men’s club soccer games this weekend.
The team played road games Friday and Saturday, beating Ferris State 5-0 Friday and losing to Calvin 3-0 Saturday.
“We played a very controlled game to our pace and liking on Friday.
We allowed for a steady tempo in the game and it fit our team well,” said
CMU team member Kyle Phillips.
CMU’s record is 3-5-1.
Three of the five goals Friday were scored by first-year players, Rob
Emond, Tim Formolo and Scottie Drain. The other two were scored by
veterans Pete Andreolli and John Bunting, who also added one assist.
Phillips said the defense was key in the victory.
“I want to give praise to our defense for working hard the whole game,” said Phillips.
First-year member Kevin Sirr suffered a hamstring pull in Friday’s game,
which forced him to sit out Saturday. The loss of Sirr and two other
key players, Jared Hoeft and Scottie Drain, contributed to the defeat Saturday.
“We played poorly and were missing our key players,” said team member Rob Peters.
The team played by NCAA rules which made it difficult to adapt.
“It was unfamiliar, and Calvin ran their team with a different style of play. We weren’t prepared as a team,” said Phillips.
The team plays at Northwood in a four-team tournament Sunday. Muskegon
Community College and Hillsdale also will compete in the tournament.
- Katie Maurer
Rugby looks to carry tradition
They don’t carry a National Ranking like the men’s cross country team.
They don’t carry fan support like the men’s basketball team. They don’t even
carry a coach.
Regardless, the men’s club rugby team is carrying on a tradition which has lasted for 25 years.
Midway through this season, the team is in an unfamiliar place. After
tough losses to powerhouses Michigan, Northern Michigan and Ferris State,
Central is winless and an unlikely candidate for postseason play. They have
been a part of the postseason every year since 1994. Despite the sluggish
start, the members of the team are making great strides and look to improve.
“With a team of mainly inexperienced players it is tough to be where we
were last year,” said sophomore Rob Pawlowski. “We lack the size we had in
past years, but we are improving every week.”
Even with a record of 0-3, the team is not giving up.
With only two remaining matches this season against Grand Valley State
(Oct. 4) and Michigan State (Oct. 11), Central is picking up steam.
“This is a major rebuilding season for us,” said team president Brandon
Smith. “We lost an All-American and a handful of starters last year, but
even with many inexperienced starters we’re looking great and so is our potential.
We’re playing with our hearts, it’s beginning to be more than just a game
to us, it’s starting to become a part of us, that’s a sign of things to come.”
Captains Trevor Beales and Karl Nielson hope to lead the team and restore the pride of the men’s rugby club.
The team invites all students to join the squad, regardless of experience
or skill level. Practices are held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5-7 p.m.
at the Intramural fields.
The team hosts GVSU 1 p.m. Saturday also at the intramural fields.
- Jon Gunnells
(10/01/03 4:00am)
Junior Stasia Burroughs wants to show Kent State field hockey coach Kerry
DeVries she made a big mistake when the Golden Flashes visit Thursday.
Burroughs, a defender from Kent, Ohio, played for DeVries’ indoor team when she was in high school.
“She told me that I would not play at Kent State or any other big name
school,” Burroughs said. “She definitely did underestimate my abilities.
It was cool when we beat them last season, because she said I wouldn’t make
it to a big school, and then I was on a team that beat her.”
However, DeVries says she is pleased with the gains Burroughs has made.
“It is exciting to see how far Stasia has gone, and she has a great deal
of heart and pride in playing for CMU,” DeVries said. “As much as I want
a win for our team, I also want to see Stasia do well.”
The Chippewas, 2-5 overall and 1-1 in the MAC, are looking to break a two- game losing streak against KSU.
CMU won at home in double overtime, but then lost at Kent by penalty strokes
last season. In the MAC Tournament semifinals, CMU lost to the Golden Flashes
in double overtime.
“Last year, we sort of developed a nice rivalry,” said CMU coach Cristy
Freese. “When you have close games, it always adds a little to it.”
Kent State agrees the teams are rivals.
“I think it is a very healthy rivalry between us,” DeVries said. “We have to come to CMU and play tough in order to win.”
The Golden Flashes are 3-6 overall and 1-0 in the MAC after beating Ohio
4-0 last week. Senior midfielder Jennifer Melnyk leads KSU with seven goals.
Kent State has been shut out three times this season, while CMU has been shut out once.
Senior goalkeeper Laura Plese may have solidified her starting role in
net. She won her first career game in a 6-1 win at Miami Sunday.
“Laura has really responded well to my tinkering,” Freese said. “She has
always been ready and even though we have limited experience at the position,
she has the most.”
Plese is excited about her first win and the chance to play in front of a home crowd.
“It was awesome to win, especially when we scored as many goals as we
did,” Plese said. “I am really excited to have two MAC games like Kent and
Ohio, and these two wins are going to be awesome.”
After seven games on the road, the team is happy to be home.
“It’s certainly nice to be at home, because we are pretty tired of the bus,” Freese said.
CMU split its first two MAC games last season before going on a five-game winning streak.
“Both games are really important because our goal is to repeat as MAC
Champs,” said junior Michelle Fogle. “If we want a shot at repeating, we
have to win these games.”
Freese said the outcome of the game will come down to defense.
“The team that plays better defense will win the game because both teams
can score,” she said. “I know Kent will be ready for us.”
The game starts at 2 p.m. at Kelly/Shorts Stadium and will begin a three-game homestand.
(10/01/03 4:00am)
Lynn Wloszek
Sophomore field hockey player Alisa Folk has been patiently waiting.
The forward did not start last year, and watched from the sidelines as
CMU completed its best season ever. She played behind four-year-starters
Meg Lewis and Jocelyn Gates, and appeared in half of the games.
“Alisa has a great knowledge of offense, but to play on our team you have
to play defense, and that’s where she had to get better,” said coach Cristy
Freese.
The Richmond, British Columbia native worked on her individual defense
in the off-season, and has started every game this year.
“Even though I did not start last season, my effort was still the same,”
Folk said. “Starter or not, you still put in the same effort.”
Folk gives much of the credit for her success to Lewis and Gates.
“I learned a lot from them,” Folk said. “Especially Meg, because she played
on the left side and she set a good example for me to work up to her level.”
Folk is third on the team with four goals and eight points for the 2-5 Chippewas this season.
“I don’t feel any pressure to score, because there are three forwards,
and we’re all capable of scoring,” Folk said. “Lately we have been missing
some opportunities. We have all the potential, but now we just need to finish.”
Thursday will be the first game Folk will start at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.
“It is always a good game between Kent State and us, and it is going to
be an exciting game to watch,” she said. “After our big win on Sunday we
are pumped heading into the Kent game.”
Typically, Kent State plays physical, in attempt to knock opposing offenses off of their game, Freese said.
“We are just going to be as aggressive as we can be,” Folk said. “We want to be tough, and push through anything.”
(09/29/03 4:00am)
Forward Kristy Reed led the field hockey team to a split in the opening weekend of MAC play.
(09/26/03 4:00am)
Goalkeeper Laura Plese has much to prove this weekend as the field hockey
team begins MAC play with games at No. 14 Louisville and Miami.
(09/22/03 4:00am)
I am writing this letter in response to the fee proposed by Athletics
Director Herb Deromedi. According to the Sept. 12 article in CM Life,
the sports fee would generate about $1.3 million.
What is interesting is this: This fee helps almost no one it charges.
Very few people get any benefit from any of the money. The football
players get some new turf; field hockey players gets a new field, and a new
women’s sport get added. Why should new students have to pay $300 for things
they’ll probably never get to use?
I can think of alternative uses for $1.3 million that seem a bit more
important than new grass on the football field. For instance, that seems
like plenty of money to have kept the Testing Center open, which provided
an extremely valuable service to students and teachers, and was something
almost everybody used. Or it could have been used to prevent some of the
downsizing of faculty. Or if the board really doesn’t want to support academics,
there is also the shuttle service we could have kept going. It could even
be used for more entertainment acts.
There are also alternative ways to raise money for sports — like actually
charging students for games. If students really think football is important,
they’ll pay a few dollars to go see them play. Alumni surely wouldn’t mind
paying a few extra dollars for their tickets, either. But if it turns out
that the people who actually care about the football team and like to watch
the games don’t think it’s important enough to support with their money,
why should the rest of us be charged?
Is athletics really that much more important than academics?
Why is this the only proposed fee?
(09/19/03 4:00am)
Amanda Papke
EAST LANSING — Junior Veerle Goudswaard was just too much for CMU’s field hockey team Thursday.
The Spartans midfielder had two goals in the 5-2 win at MSU.
“Central Michigan is always a big game for us,” said Spartans Head Coach
Michelle Madison. “We had trouble moving the ball against them at times,
but we picked up our passing game and I was happy with that.”
CMU is now 1-4 on the season.
Goudswaard opened the scoring 5:10 into the game, and Michelle Carstens
scored 10 minutes later. The Spartans dominated CMU statistically, outshooting
CMU 26-7.
Senior Tarah Trottier then scored on a tip from junior Kristy Reed, but
MSU responded when Ashley Pernicano scored to make it 3-1. Goudswaard added
another goal to make it 4-1 at halftime.
“I thought when we scored to make it 2-1 that was what would get us going,”
said CMU Head Coach Cristy Freese. “I thought MSU outhustled us. We can beat
their defense but we let that moment kind of get away from us.”
Sophomore Alisa Folk continued her offensive production, adding a goal
with just over a minute left in the game, closing out the scoring at 5-2.
Folk leads the team with four goals.
‘I thought we showed a little spirit at the end, but it doesn’t help when
you’re down 5-1,” Freese said. “Where was that when in the first half?”
Midway through the first half, freshman goalkeeper Danielle Frank was
pulled. Senior Laura Plese replaced her and allowed one goal.
“Laura had not played since the Northwestern game and she was ready off
the bench,” Freese said. “Danielle did not play poorly, it is just that she
saw shots that she had not seen before from a good team.”
The Chippewas are idle until Sept. 26 when they open the conference season
at Louisville. The Chippewas shared the regular season title with the Cardinals
last season.
(09/17/03 4:00am)
Amanda Papke
Sophomore Alisa Folk will look to continue her offensive production when
she leads the field hockey team to East Lansing Thursday.
Folk was named MAC Offensive Player of the Week after scoring three goals
in two games last weekend. She leads CMU with three goals and six points.
No.8 Michigan State is 3-1, and it is the first time the 1-3 Chippewas
play a ranked team this season. MSU’s only loss on the season came against
No. 2 North Carolina 3-0 on Sept. 6.
“Obviously Michigan State is very good,” said coach Cristy Freese. “This
game will be a matter of limiting our mistakes offensively and defensively.”
Freese said having a positive attitude is crucial heading into the game.
“Before we step on the field we have to have confidence that we will win
the game,” she said. “We all have to be confident in individual play and
the players have to be confident in their teammates play.”
A preseason scrimmage against MSU ended 2-2, so the Chippewas know they can be competitive.
“The scrimmage helped us realize we can play with them,” Freese said. “It is going to be 70 really tough minutes.”
The Chippewas pride themselves in creating opportunities, Freese said.
“We opened up the Cornell game by our ability to steal the ball,” Freese
said. “It does not matter we are playing Michigan State, it’s all about attitude,
confidence, and how we play our game.”
The Chippewas defeated Cornell 3-1 Sunday for their first victory of the season.
The last time CMU beat the Spartans was in 2000, when senior co-captain
Tarah Trottier scored the game-winning goal in a 3-2 overtime game.
Senior defender Allison Foland also was on that team.
“In the Syracuse and Northwestern games we took our time to get in a groove,”
Foland said. “At MSU we don’t have any time to get in a groove, and we do
not have any time to falter.”
