Season ends with loss to Ohio
This field hockey team's season is over, but it already has started building toward next season.
CMU lost 3-0 on Friday to No. 16 Ohio in the Mid-American Conference semifinals. The Chippewas played their best game of the season against the Bobcats, despite being outshot 22-6 and trailing 15-5 in penalty corners, coach Cristy Freese said.
"I thought we played better than we did all season against them. I thought we played a really good second half," Freese said. "We certainly lost our offensive output at the end of the season."
The Chippewas' offensive struggles were evident much of the second half of the season and were a big reason the team ended the season 1-6. Central only loses one senior and Freese believes the way the team closed the season will keep her team focused all winter.
"I think going into our season we thought we could win more than six games, so that will be motivation as we head into the off season," she said. "We've got our whole starting lineup returning, but we have to get better and we have five incoming freshmen next year, so that's going to give us more depth and competition."
Freese's players feel the same way. They also said next season's team will be able to build on the chemistry this year's team established.
"I think our team has come a long way in learning how to play together, and how to maintain a certain level of play both within a game and from one game to the next," said sophomore midfielder Lizl Gericke. "It has been a learning season and next season should be amazing, the team will be a lot more experienced since we're only graduating one senior."
One reason CMU can improve next year is the return of its All-MAC performers. Sophomore midfielder Kim Erasmus was voted All-MAC first-team, while junior forwards Moyra Betuzzi, Samantha Sandham and freshman goalkeeper Louise Gericke made the second team.
Freese hopes her players realize that winning awards this year doesn't mean next year will be any easier.
"The sophomores and juniors that are returning starters or ones that fought their way into the starting lineup, it's still going to be tough," Freese said. "They worked hard to get into the lineup, but it's still tough, so I think we need to have that mentality."
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