Sputtering to the finish line
The field hockey team has struggled to score lately, losing five of its last six games.
Things won’t get any easier for the Chippewas this weekend when they return home after three straight road games.
CMU (7-10 overall, 4-4 MAC) hosts first-place Kent State (6-12, 6-2 MAC) today at 2 p.m. and Ohio (8-9, 6-3 MAC) Saturday at 11 a.m. at the Field Hockey Complex.
Junior midfielder Erin Dottery said the team will have to play more cohesively if it wants to hold its own against the MAC’s elite.
“We need to play more as a team for the full 70 minutes,” she said. “As you can tell by the score against Ball State (6-0), we need to work harder and not just have a few people play hard.”
CMU dropped earlier contests at KSU 5-3 and OU 4-2, but home field may help this weekend.
Britt Van Pelt tallied two goals for the Golden Flashes in the Oct. 7 meeting.
CMU dug itself a 3-0 hole in the opening half against Bobcats Oct. 8. It rallied for two goals in the second half, but could not complete the comeback.
“They are very good teams,” said CMU coach Cristy Freese. “They both create problems defensively for us.”
Dottery agreed and said the Chippewas need to establish themselves early.
“We need to come out hard and set the pace,” she said. “We need to beat both teams to get a higher seed in the MAC Tournament.”
Much is still at stake in the MAC as Kent State, Ohio, CMU and third-place Miami all could win the conference title.
“It’s a big weekend for all three teams,” Freese said. “Kent can win the conference by beating us and Ohio is in the same boat.”
Though they still have a slim shot at the MAC title, Freese acknowledged the Chippewas are playing a spoiler role this weekend.
“They know the standings,” she said. “It’s kind of an unsaid thing.”
