CMU field hockey wins two-straight to open season
CMU field hockey celebrates their first goal of the game during the 4th quarter, Sunday, Oct. 1, at Cristy Freese Field. CMU ultimately lost to their opponent, Lindenwood University, 1-2. (CM-Life | Becky Particka)
Going into halftime tied with Saint Louis at one apiece, Central Michigan field hockey looked for a big play to take control of the game. It only took 23 seconds from halftime for that to come as junior forward Mallory Camryn was able to quickly squeak the ball past the Billikens goalkeeper, taking the lead and the momentum for CMU.
The Chippewas held onto their lead for the remainder of the game as they defeated Saint Louis, 4-1 to open the season on Friday.
Looking to bounce back from their losing season in 2023, CMU came away with two victories to begin the season as it defeated Bellarmine 2-1 on Saturday.
Game 1
CMU opened its regular season with an away game down in St. Louis, Missouri. Coming into Friday’s matchup, the Chippewas led the Billikens in matchup history since 2000 with a record of 11-5.
Saint Louis began the match keeping possession and pressuring the Chippewas in the attacking zone. The Billikens used the momentum to outshoot CMU 5-3 in the quarter.
However, Central Michigan scored the first goal of the game with sophomore forward Cameron Pluciennik corralling a pass from sophomore midfielder Cosima Perleth and shooting it into the net during a penalty corner 11:44 into the game.
The Billikens responded with a goal of their own in the second quarter, with senior midfielder Josefina Perez finding the net for Saint Louis with a little less than seven minutes to go in the half. The score stayed even until halftime, with neither team able to pull ahead.
Following the break, the Chippewas came out firing on all cylinders, scoring the early goal, and holding possession for much of the third quarter. Another goal would be added to the 2-1 lead with about five minutes left in the third when senior midfielder Kaitlyn Bowker used an assist from freshman midfielder Violet Barton to hit the back of the net.
The Billikens put up some fight in the fourth quarter, trying to score and come back. However, Central Michigan outshot Saint Louis 5-4 in the period, and even added one final goal. Camryn handled her own rebound after a shot to put the ball into the net for her second tally of the afternoon, icing the game 4-1.
Central Michigan goalkeeper Jenna Billig only allowed one goal while making three saves in her effort to keep the Chippewas' lead safe.
Game 2
CMU were back in action on Saturday, playing its second game of the season on neutral ground against the Bellarmine University Knights. The Chippewas have faced the Knights, who are new to the Mid-American Conference and Division I as of 2020, on five occasions before, with Bellarmine winning three of those matches.
Central Michigan seemed to be riding a wave of momentum from their win the day before to begin the game.
The defense started out hot, not allowing a single shot from the Knights in the first or second periods. On the other side, the offense produced six shots in the half, with one going in the net.
Junior forward Mallory Camryn picked up where she left off on Friday, scoring her third goal of the season 8:44 into the game. The Chippewas went into halftime with a 1-0 lead over the Knights.
Whatever the Knights talked about at halftime seemed to work. The team came out aggressively, shooting their first three shots of the game, all within the first three minutes of the half. They were also awarded two penalty corner attempts, neither of which yielded a goal.
Chippewa senior midfielder/forward Isabella D'Alessandro was given the team’s first green card of the year, forcing Central Michigan to play down a member for two minutes. However, Bellarmine was unable to score in the third period.
The Knights were finally able to put a point on the board about five minutes into the fourth quarter. Sophomore forward Mia Booth scored the goal, assisted by graduate midfielder/forward Anna Crump.
The two teams battled it out from there, but neither team could take the lead before the end of the fourth period, leading to overtime.
The extra period lasted for a little over eight minutes, with CMU in control and taking all of the shots. Sophomore forward Zoey Emrick scored the winning goal of the game, assisted by a pass from senior midfielder Kaitlyn Bowker. The Chippewas escaped with the 2-1 win, taking victories in both of their weekend games.
Central Michigan found success on offense, outshooting their opponents 17-5. CMU goalkeeper Coletta Beeler, who played the first three periods of the game, stopped all three of the shot attempts against her.
Camryn led the Chippewas in shot attempts with six on the day. Camryn ended the weekend taking nine shots and scoring three goals.
CMU's next game is on Wednesday as it travels to Cambridge, Massachusetts to play Stonehill College.
