CMU field hockey drops game at home
Central Michigan's losing streak is extended to seven games
The Central Michigan Chippewas huddle up before resuming play on Friday, Oct. 4, at Cristy Freese Field. (CM-Life | Mark Hoover)
Down two goals with less than five minutes remaining in the game, Central Michigan field hockey needed a goal. With an extra attacker on the field, the Chippewas found a sliver of hope against the Bellarmine Knights.
Sophomore forward Zoey Emrick, who was put in as an extra attacker, was able to sneak the ball into the net to keep her team alive late in the game.
However, the Chippewas were unable to even the score as time ran out, losing their seventh straight game, 4-3 on Friday.
CMU came into the game on a six game losing streak and were looking to turn it around with a win. However, they couldn’t keep the Knights from scoring in a back-and-forth affair, leading to its eighth loss of the season.
“I'm honestly really pleased with our attacking outcomes today, we haven't scored three goals in quite a few games, so that was really nice,” head coach Jennifer Johnstone said. “We scored first, that was exciting. I think offensively, I was really pleased with what we did.”
The Chippewas began the game by quickly putting pressure on the Knights and were awarded the first two penalty corner chances of the game. However, they were unable to take advantage of them.
Central Michigan put the first goal on the board about 10 minutes into the game. Freshman forward Carolena Ryon took a pass from junior forward Mallory Camryn in the shooting circle. She tapped it past the goaltender to take the lead and score her first collegiate goal.
“It is really exciting that she [Ryon] scored her first collegiate goal and she scored the first goal of the game for us,” Johnstone said.
Goals came in bunches throughout the second quarter. Bellarmine evened the score about five minutes into the second quarter with a goal of their own. Freshman defender Anouk Richters lifted the ball over the head of the Chippewas goaltender to tie the game.
Central Michigan wasted no time taking the advantage back. Junior midfielder Amelia Lane was able to score her first goal of the season during a penalty corner attempt less than two minutes later.
Bellarmine quickly responded when sophomore forward Mia Booth found herself one-on-one with the Chippewa goaltender and found a way to get the ball into the net. With about seven minutes left in the half, the game was tied at two.
Both offenses were firing on all cylinders to end the half. Central Michigan ended the quarter with seven total shots. Meanwhile, Bellarmine made the most of its two shots in the period, scoring with both of them.
"It's a tribute to the hard work we're putting in for sure," Johnstone said about the team getting new players involved. "It's, again, you know the more threatening we can be with the more goal scorers we have, the harder it is to really focus on just one kid. If you've got a scouting report full of key players, it makes it really tough."
Both teams slowed down the pace in the second half. Despite having more offensive attack in the third quarter, Bellarmine’s graduate midfielder/forward Anna Crump scored a goal in the final minutes to take the lead heading into the fourth quarter.
With the momentum shifted to Bellarmine, the Knights began to have more success in the offensive zone. They were awarded two penalty corner attempts within the first four minutes of the final period.
After failing to score on the first attempt, Booth shot the ball into the net on the second attempt, using an assist from freshman defender Skylar Sokal. It marked her second goal of the game for the Knights.
With about 11 minutes left and down two goals, the Chippewas tried to fuel a comeback.
The goal from Emrick brought CMU closer to tying the game, but it ultimately wasn’t enough as the team lost 4-3.
Despite being 0-4 in conference play so far this season, Johnstone is proud of her athletes and their determination.
“I think it's exciting for me to see the determination that our young kids show and the heart they show because they want to win," Johnstone said. "They want to win. So I think for me, again, the future is exceptionally bright.”
The Chippewas will look to win their first conference game of the season against Ball State on Friday at 3 p.m.
