A night of color for CMU soccer ends in 3-1 loss against rivals
WMU graduate student forward Jen Blitchok chases CMU redshirt sophomore defender Dani Barzowski for the ball, Thursday, Sept. 28, in the Multipurpose Complex. (CM-Life | Trent Reinke)
With Central Michigan soccer down early in the first half, junior forward Jenna Little tied the match at one as she found the back of the net for the Chippewas.
After the score, fans celebrated the Chippewas goal by throwing up color packets full of chalk, to paint the sky with color.
However, it was a disappointing ending to a long-time rivalry as CMU was defeated by Western Michigan 3-1. The game was hard-fought with both teams scoring back-to-back in the first half.
The Broncos opened the game scoring in the 10th minute. Shortly after WMU's score, Little earned her fifth goal of the season with a striking goal in the 12th minute to tie it up at one.
“I thought up-front her work was unbelievable,” head coach Jeremy Groves said. “The way she held the ball and the way she ran at them was amazing.”
Only minutes later, CMU suffered from a penalty kick, causing the Chippewas to be knocked down 2-1 in the 14th minute. CMU faced a total of 20 shots compared to WMU's nine.
The Broncos finished the game by scoring off a free kick in the 78th minute to hand CMU the loss.
The Chippewas now stand eighth in the Mid-American Conference with a record of 1-2, following their 2-1 win against Miami (Ohio) last Sunday.
“Tomorrow, we forget about today and get back onto it,” Groves said. “(Last) Thursday we were so disappointed because we didn’t perform, we didn’t give the energy … tonight we did all those things. The little mistakes, we must cut them out.
The Chippewas have a quick turnaround this week as they travel to Toledo on Sunday at 1 p.m. in hopes of another MAC win.
“It’s the real fine margins of the games,” Groves said. “It’s little areas that we must tighten up on Sunday which I know we can do because I’ve seen us do it. We must start playing mistake-free.”
