Up-and-down season ends with 4-1 loss to Kent State
The field hockey team's season did not end the way its seniors hoped.
But they still are proud of their success after an up-and-down season, which concluded with a 4-1 loss to Kent State on Friday.
"I am really glad with how we picked things up towards the end of the season," said senior Samantha Sandham. "We really came together as a team and put things together. It has been a long four years and we are just sad to see it all go on this note."
While the feeling of a successful career ending lingers in Sandham's mind, she said she relishes the opportunity to play in the semifinals.
"It is always good to get to that point," she said. "I am thankful to get that experience, but it is just a feeling of where to go from here."
CMU finished third place in the Mid-American Conference Tournament over the weekend. It started the tournament with a 5-0 win over Ball State on Thursday before losing to KSU.
Sandham said the Golden Flashes played a fast, efficient game of hockey.
"They are a good team and they deserved to win," she said. "I have no doubt that everyone played 100 percent and everyone gave it their all."
The Chippewas (8-12 overall, 6-4 MAC) jumped out to an early 1-0 lead when Sandham stashed away her 15th goal of the season off a penalty corner.
After that, it was all KSU, which received goals from Debbie Bell and Rachel Miller before halftime to take a 2-1 lead. Kent State's Miller and Nicole Leach then would tack on two more goals to round out the scoring.
"I think Kent is a very good team," coach Cristy Freese said. "One thing we need to work on for next season is our defensive penalty corners. Kent was able to figure us out on that, so we need to improve."
Kent State gave the team problems in the past. It was the only MAC team the Chippewas could not beat this season, going 0-3.
"The first game we played them was very evenly matched and could have gone either way," Sandham said. "Kent is just a good team. They were the top team in the season so it makes sense that they would win the tournament title."
While the season just ended for the Chippewas, Freese sees some things that have her excited about the 2009-2010 season.
"I think our defense will be solid," Freese said. "We are returning nearly everyone, with the exception of Amanda Lucik. We will also have Melinda (Curran) returning in goal which is huge. It is always a big plus when you have a returning starting goaltender.
"We will be a little young offensively so we need to work on that in the off season."
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