Louisville, Miami to visit CMU
Amanda Papke
Field hockey coach Cristy Freese does not care who her team plays this weekend.
“It does not matter, we just have to win,” she said.
The Chippewas host Louisville 2 p.m. today and Miami at noon Sunday.
The Cardinals are a member of the Mid-American Conference for field hockey only.
“There are three teams in second place, so I like to think we are still in it,” said senior back Katie Coccia. “If we win the rest of our games, I have no doubts that we can win the conference.”
Central is in fifth place with a 2-3 record while Louisville, Ohio and Ball State are in second at 3-2.
The Chippewas have the best offense in the league, scoring 2.23 goals per game. Louisville’s defense, led by goalkeeper Christy Hershey, is No. 1 in the MAC. Hershey has the best Goals Against Average in the conference.
The Cardinals won 4-1 at home earlier this season.
“If we go into the games this weekend with confidence and pay attention to details, we will win,” Coccia said. “We need to focus, execute, and play like the good team we are.”
Junior Kristy Reed leads CMU with nine goals, four assists and 22 points, placing her third in MAC goals and points. Reed had 13 goals and 27 points last season.
Senior Tarah Trottier has added eight goals and 17 points. She is tied for fourth in the MAC in goals.
The Chippewas want to start off strong against Louisville to give them momentum against Miami.
“If we can come out and beat Louisville, then it just propels us into the game against Miami and gets the ball rolling,” said junior midfielder Michelle Fogle. “Personally I have never beaten Louisville, and I want to prove to them that we are just as good.”
At 1-10 overall and 0-5 in the MAC, the young RedHawks have struggled. They have seven freshman, including goalkeeper Kerri Matthews, who ranks fourth in the nation with 126 saves.
“If we just play as a cohesive unit, pressure the other team and never let down for 70 minutes, we will win both these games,” Fogle said. “We have to execute on our penalty corners.”
Miami fell behind early at home earlier this season, a 6-1 CMU win. The RedHawks’ last MAC win came against CMU in the first round of the 2000 MAC Tournament.
“I always think Miami is a tough matchup,” Freese said. “They always play solid on defense, and when we played them earlier they started their younger goalkeeper.”
