CMU field hockey loses final home game of the season
Central Michigan went 0-6 at home this season
The Central Michigan field hockey team lines up for the national anthem on Friday, Oct. 25, at Cristy Freese Field. During warmups, the team wore blue warmup jerseys for colon cancer awareness. (CM-Life | Mark Hoover)
With 3:52 left in the first half, Miami (Ohio) was awarded a penalty stroke after the Chippewas committed a foul in the shooting circle. As graduate midfielder/striker Claudia Negrete Garcia lined up for the shot, everyone fell silent.
The whistle blew, the shot was taken and Chippewa freshman goaltender Jenna Billig made a huge stop to keep the Redhawks from scoring.
The crowd, along with the CMU bench, erupted in cheer and the Chippewas went on to keep the Redhawks at only one goal as the game reached halftime.
Despite the excellent goalie play from Billig, the Chippewas struggled to get scoring chances of their own, resulting in a 3-1 win for Miami (OH).
Coming into the match, CMU were 0-5 at home this season and on a 10-game losing streak stretching back to Sept. 8.
The team dedicated the game towards colon cancer awareness, specifically. Senior backer Simone Potgieter’s mom, who lives in South Africa, is battling colon cancer currently.
The team has been very supportive of Potgieter’s mom and others with the condition, wearing blue warm-up shirts on a number of occasions this season.
The Redhawks went on the attack early in the game, taking four shots within the first three minutes, all blocked by Billig.
Miami stayed aggressive, forcing a foul on CMU. Fortunately, the penalty corner attempt was unsuccessful.
The Chippewas took their first shot at the 6:26 mark of the first quarter, following it up with a penalty corner attempt. Neither shot found the net.
The CMU defense and goaltending stepped up in the first quarter, blocking shots and keeping the game scoreless going into the second. The Redhawks took 12 shots in the quarter, compared to the Chippewas’ three.
Miami put the first goal on the board about five minutes into the second quarter. On a penalty corner attempt, Redhawks graduate midfielder/striker Paula Peña Martinez sent a pass to the middle of the shooting circle, allowing freshman forward Henriette Schlueter to put the ball past Billig for the score.
The Chippewas kept Miami from scoring again for the rest of the second quarter, largely thanks to the save Billig made on the penalty stroke attempt late in the first half. The score remained 1-0 at the break.
The Redhawks continued to pressure the Chippewas in the third quarter. Miami outshot the CMU 26-7 throughout the first three quarters. Towards the end of the third period, the Redhawks finally broke the game open as they found themselves with a couple of chances in front of the Central Michigan net.
With 1:08 left in the quarter, senior striker Katherine Groff shot the ball from the top of the circle to score the second goal of the game for Miami.
Less than 50 seconds later, senior back Berta Mata added one more goal to the point total, sending the game into the fourth quarter with the Redhawks on top, 3-0.
The Chippewas found a little spark in the final quarter. At about the 50 minute mark of the game, they were given a penalty corner attempt where sophomore forward Cameron Pluciennik scored Central Michigan’s first goal of the game.
The Chippewas, however, were not able to complete a comeback, losing their final home game of the season.
Central Michigan has two games remaining on its schedule. The team will finish out the season with a road trip to Ohio, to face the Bobcats on Friday and Ohio State on Sunday, Nov. 3.
