Team hopes to avenge U-M defeat
Last season the field hockey team was thumped when they played at Michigan.
The Chippewas were outshot 42-2 and Michigan won 11-0.
The Chippewas will get a chance at redemption when they host the Wolverines at 4 p.m. Tuesday at the Field Hockey Complex.
“It was an embarrassment, Michigan was a great team, but we played a terrible game,” said coach Cristy Freese. “Hopefully our players remember last year’s performance and come into tomorrow’s game fired up.”
Freese said she is hoping for a large turnout for the game.
“Games like this mean a lot to field hockey, any time a school from a power conference like the Big Ten comes to play at a smaller school it’s good for the sport,” she said.
The Wolverines are 3-3 overall and enter the match on a three-game winning streak.
Junior Alicia Balanesi extended her goal scoring streak to four consecutive games as CMU split its two-game weekend series in Evanston, Ill..
Balanesi scored her team-leading fourth and fifth goals, including the game winner against Virginia.
It took an extra period in Saturday’s game as the Chippewas defeated the Cavaliers 2-1 in overtime. CMU opened the scoring when junior Cortney Blanchard netted her first goal of the season on a penalty corner. UVA tied the game late in the second half.
“It was a big win and a big upset,” Freese said. “Virginia is a very good team and is usually one of the better teams in the country. Everyone worked hard and worked together in the win.”
It was a tale of two different halves in a 4-2 loss to Northwestern Friday.
The Wildcats scored four unanswered goals in the first half to take a commanding lead into halftime. CMU played better in the second half scoring two goals, but it was not enough.
‘We were out shot, out played and out scored in the first half,” Balanesi said. “We went into the half and made some adjustments mentally and strategy-wise.”
Freese said the team must take the same mentality it did in the UVA game against Michigan.
“We have to go in and not worry about what they are ranked,” she said “We have to play hard the entire game and never let up.”
