Dottery seals win for CMU field hockey
Senior back Erin Dottery had one shot at keeping Sunday’s game against Northwestern from going into overtime.
She didn’t disappoint.
CMU received a penalty corner just seconds before regulation time expired. Sophomore Samantha Sandham passed to Dottery who was on the side of the net and scored with no time remaining to give Central a 3-2 win at the CMU Field Hockey Complex.
“It was a high,” Dottery said. “It was so exciting to end the game with a goal so we wouldn’t have to go to overtime.”
The win improves the Chippewas’ record to 5-2 overall and drops the Wildcats to 5-6.
By rule, the game can’t end on a penalty call, and if the ball went out of the circle the game would have gone into overtime.
Game Recap
CMU 3, Northwestern 2
Senior Erin Dottery scored the game-winning goal on a penalty corner. Sophomore Samantha Sandham assisted.
Sophomore Kelly Jordan netted CMU’s other two goals.
“I’ve never won a game like that,” said coach Cristy Freese. “We’ve won in overtime, but never with no time on the clock.”
Freese said the corner play called for CMU to put the ball down low to Sandham and have Dottery be on the side and clean up any rebounds.
“When the ball was on Erin’s stick, I thought ‘that’s a good person to have it,’” Freese said. “She was right where she needed to be.”
Northwestern led the game on two different occasions, only to see CMU come back and tie the game.
Megan Sieberg scored the Wildcats first goal and Alex Quinn added the second. Sophomore Kelly Jordan answered each Northwestern goal by scoring two of her own.
“I think this team has shown we can keep fighting back,” Freese said. “I like our mental attitude we’re playing with right now.”
Freese wanted her team to keep the ball outside to control the ball more and have opportunities in the circle in the second half.
“We kept the ball outside like we were suppose to,” Jordan said.
CMU plays Tuesday at Michigan State.
