CMU field hockey loses conference opener at home
Down late in its conference opener, Central Michigan field hockey needed a goal desperately. With about five minutes left in regulation, the Chippewas pulled their goaltender, adding an attacker to the field to try and take the momentum.
Less than four minutes later, the gamble paid off. On a penalty corner attempt, junior midfielder Amelia Lane passed the ball to the top of the shooting circle, and sophomore midfielder Pauline Klep shot the ball into the net to tie the game and send it into overtime.
The effort wasn’t enough as the Longwood University scored a final goal in overtime to seal the win 2-1 and extend the Chippewas' losing streak to four on Friday.
“I think we played really hard,” head coach Jennifer Johnstone said. “I mean, we looked at our past three years with Longwood. Last year we lost four to one. The year before that, it was five to two, and the year before that was seven [to] nothing. So clearly we can see and feel the progress we're making regardless of the outcome of the game.”
CMU played an aggressive game, out-shooting their opponent and controlling the game. However, the late game goal would not get them the win following the overtime period. The Chippewas fell to 3-5 overall and 0-1 in conference play.
After a slow start for both teams, the Lancers were awarded the first penalty corner of the game. Longwood capitalized on the scoring chance early, and junior forward Jane Ramsay was able to put the ball in the net from the top of the shooting circle 3:27 into the game.
Central Michigan was given two penalty corner attempts in the final minutes of the first quarter, but it was unable to score on either of them after Lancer freshman goaltender Sophie Mooldijk made a key stop to keep the lead at 1-0.
Despite offensive pressure in their opponents zone as well as out-shooting Longwood 6-5, the Chippewas could not score as the half expired.
Both teams began to have better offensive success in the third quarter. The Chippewas were aggressive on offense, out-shooting the Lancers 5-3 in the third.
“So, you know, the big thing for us today was being on our front foot and really attacking and going forward, because we felt like if we could really run a high press against this team, we would have opportunities in our attacking end,” Johnstone said. “So I think after halftime, that was definitely their focus.”
The Chippewas, however, were not able to score any goals. Freshman goaltender Jenna Billig came up big for Central Michigan, making a couple of key saves to keep her team in the game.
Central Michigan pulled its goaltender with about five minutes left in the game, adding one more attacker for the Chippewas. The move led to a goal to tie it up at one.
“We want to win as many conference games as we can, right? So a tie, a loss, isn't going to really help us early on," Johnstone said. "So I thought, Let's go for it… It's high risk, high reward.
"I think there's a lot of trust on our team, generally, in terms of the decisions we're making, and trusting their teammates, and that's not something I've ever had in my time here.”
However, Longwood spoiled the Chippewas' comeback as Lancer senior midfielder Zoe Tierney scored off of a penalty corner about halfway through the extra period to win the game.
The Chippewas will go on their final long road trip of the season next week as they take on both James Madison and Appalachian State on Friday and Sunday, Sept. 29th.
