Erin Dye, Bailey McKeon carry field hockey offensive attack
Central Michigan field hockey players Erin Dye and Bailey McKeon showed they might be the go-to scorers for the 2012 season.
They accounted for all four goals the Chippewas scored in their two games this weekend — and CMU needed every one.
“One thing we’re seeing with our team,” head coach Cristy Freese said, “is the ability to really play the rebound off the goalkeeper and be persistent.”
The Chippewas won their first game 2-1 against Radford, and Freese was impressed by how the two goals were scored.
McKeon, a junior, scored the first goal of the season for the Chippewas off a rebound in the ninth minute, and Dye, a senior, added one shortly after in the 15th minute, with a tip in from five yards out.
The two scorers almost saved CMU from defeat in the Robert Morris Tournament final. CMU was down 2-0 in the second half, and, in a 23-second span, Dye and McKeon tied it up with a goal each in the 49th minute.
Dye tried her best to deflect the credit for the goals that were scored by Bailey and her.
“Obviously, we had a good weekend,” Dye said. “But we had the passes there for us, and it could have been someone else.”
She was satisfied that she has gotten off to a fast start, after failing to tally many goals at the beginning of last season.
“I sometimes get in a slump,” she said. “So, it’s good to start off strong, because that will be better for me as I go on in the season.”
Their output should not surprise many.
McKeon faced a slight decrease in minutes from her freshman to sophomore season, yet increased her goal total by three, with five goals in her second year playing for CMU.
Dye lead the team in goals as a sophomore in 2010 and was second on the team last year with more help offensively.
“You can’t make a scorer. A scorer just has instincts,” Freese said. “I think that’s what Erin does. She’s willing to get down and dirty to score a goal. I think she likes to score goals on her back, more than her feet.”
