CMU soccer closes out last home game in 1-0 loss against NIU
Central Michigan junior forward Myla Stewart, 24, takes a shot during a game against Northern Illinois, Sunday, Oct. 22 in the CMU Soccer Complex. Stewart had three shots and two shots on goal. (CM-Life | Marie Underwood)
Remaining scoreless, Central Michigan soccer closed out its last home game of the regular season with a 0-1 loss against Northern Illinois University on Sunday.
The Chippewas dominated in shots totaling 21, six being on goal. As the game went on, CMU had many opportunities to score, with two coming from midfielder Claudia Muessig both nearly missing the net.
“We had so many opportunities to score,” head coach Jeremy Groves said. “We had really good spells in the game where we were on top. We don’t capitalize and that’s been the story all season.”
CMU matched momentum with the Huskies until being knocked down in the 66th minute after a shot was tipped past goalkeeper Allison LaPoint. For the remainder of the game, CMU struggled to even out the score as the game took an aggressive turn.
“We have to change our luck here,” Groves said. “We do that by doing the right things every day in training and holding a standard.”
For CMU, winning and scoring goals have been the thing lacking this season. The Chippewas have only won two games, one being in a non-conference game. For Groves, he believes this team runs on confidence. On the field, confidence can come from many things including winning.
"When things aren't going well, it's hard to break that cycle," Groves said. "We have to get over that hump and get that win then I think this team is gonna take off because we have great players."
The Chippewas remain ninth in the Mid-American Conference as the tournament approaches. Only the top six teams qualify for spot. As the season closes, CMU has one game remaining against Ball State on Thursday at 3 p.m.
The goal for Thursday’s game is to finish on a strong note despite the obstacle the team has faced with injuries.
“I think this team has got to figure it out,” Groves said. “We can’t keep making excuses about injuries and players (being) out which we have a lot of right now. We just have to keep fighting through this stuff.”
