CMU field hockey loses sixth straight
Graduate student midfielder Kayla Kisthardt moves the ball during a game against Appalachian State, Friday, Sept. 29 at Cristy Freese Field. Kisthardt is one of the captains this season. (CM-Life | Marie Underwood)
With less than a minute to go in the first half, Central Michigan field hockey looked to score a goal against Appalachian State in a game that had so far been lopsided.
After being awarded a penalty corner, the Chippewas had a chance. Making the most of their opportunity, sophomore midfielder Pauline Klep took the pass from junior midfielder Amelia Lane and scored a goal for CMU on its first shot attempt of the game.
While the Chippewas were able to slow down their opponent in the second half, the Mountaineers found a way to score a second goal and defended their lead to defeat CMU 2-1 on Sunday.
Prior to this conference matchup, the Chippewas were on a five game losing streak and desperate to add to their win column.
Due to the aftereffects of Hurricane Helene on Appalachian State’s campus, the game was played in a neutral location in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Looking back at past matchups before today’s game, the Mountaineers have won 10 out of the 12 total games played between them since 2017.
The Mountaineers began the game aggressive, with eight total shots taken in the first four minutes of the game. Senior goaltender Coletta Beeler made several key stops to keep App State from scoring, but the pressure was on.
The Chippewas spent much of the first quarter pinned in their own end of the field. The Mountaineers bombarded the goal with shots, taking a total of 15 in the period. However, Beeler made 11 saves to keep the score tied at zero heading into the second.
CMU was unable to record a shot of its own in the first period.
App State finally broke the deadlock about two and a half minutes into the second quarter. The Mountaineers were awarded a penalty stroke, and junior midfielder Lise Boekaar scored one-on-one with the goaltender.
The Mountaineers continued to attack the Chippewas throughout much of the second period, piling up the shots and stifling them.
With less than a minute to go in the half, CMU was given its first penalty corner chance of the game and scored its first goal.
Beeler came up big in the first half making 12 saves and keeping her team in the game. Despite being outshot 23-1, the game went into halftime tied at one.
After the break, Appalachian State continued dominating the game. In the third quarter, it put up eight shots compared to CMU’s two, and added one more goal to its tally.
About 11 minutes into the second half, freshman midfielder Darby Reyburn shot the ball past the Chippewa goaltender to increase their lead 2-1.
With the finish line in sight, the Chippewas attempted to come back from the one goal deficit in the fourth quarter. However, the effort fell short as the team was unable to find rhythm on offense, leading to their seventh loss of the season.
The Mountaineers out-shot the Chippewas 35-5 throughout the game. Beeler finished with 18 saves on the day. The team is now 3-7 on the season, and 0-3 in conference play.
Central Michigan will back home for its next game, Friday against Bellarmine at 1 p.m.
