Field hockey looks toward youth for support
Coach Cristy Freese is faced with the task of replacing five seniors from last year’s field hockey team.
The group, led by Mid-American Conference Player of the Year Samantha Sandham, accounted for 27 of the team’s 44 goals.
Freese said she hopes the loss of experience will not affect the leadership on the roster.
“I think that all of our seniors have to play well,” she said. “They are the ones that are coming in with the experience. They just have to step up both leadership-wise and certainly playing-wise for our team to be successful.”
The 2009 Chippewas have six seniors, two of which are goalkeepers. One senior, Kim Erasmus, was second on the team last year with 16 points, including three goals, good for a four-way tie for fourth on the team.
But Freese said she will turn to younger players to step up for the offense.
“Our offense is going to have to work to catch up because we are going to be young in that area,” Freese said. “When you lose a player of the year like Samantha Sandham, you have got to find some people to step up and become the go-to player on offense.”
This season’s class of seniors scored just six goals last season; Sandham scored 15 goals by herself. Freese said she expects a mixture of 10 freshmen and sophomores to help out.
“Our sophomore class has a lot of talent,” Freese said. “Last year as freshmen, they were inconsistent, which is typical. But now in their sophomore year, we are looking for them to elevate their play and their consistency.”
Brooke Sihota and Paulina Lee headline the group of sophomores. Lee was a part of that four-player tie for fourth on the team with three goals last year, along with finishing fifth in points. Sihota finished with two goals and seven points.
“I think that Brooke [Sihota] will be a big contribution to our team with her defense and her leadership,” Erasmus said. “Paulina Lee will be a great person to step up because she knows what is expected of her.”
After finishing the season on a strong note, the Chippewas earned a third-place finish in the Mid-American Conference. The MAC Daily, a web publication based out of Farmington Hills, projects the Chippewas to finish second in the MAC, behind defending champion Kent State.
“This season is going to be a challenge for us in the sense that we are going to be adapting to the new players coming in,” Erasmus said. “I think it is going to be an interesting season but, if we all come out working hard, I think we will have a good season.”
The season begins Sept. 4 at Colgate. The team’s first home game is Sept. 26 against MAC opponent Ball State.
CMU’s schedule inclues seven home games.
The MAC Tournament starts Nov. 5.
