Central Michigan University Athletics
Field Hockey Launches 2001 Season
8/21/2001 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Aug. 21, 2001
THE TEAM--The Central Michigan University field hockey team (0-0, 0-0 Mid-American Conference) opens the 2001 season at Northwestern (0-0, 0-0 Big Ten) and versus Southwest Missouri State (0-0, 0-0 Missouri Valley). The Chippewas face-off against Northwestern on Aug. 25 at Evanston, Ill. They are 0-5 all-time against Northwestern. CMU remains in Evanston to play Southwest Missouri State on Aug. 26. The Chippewas are 8-9-1 all-time against the Lady Bears.
Cristy Freese enters her 16th season at the helm of Chippewa field hockey. She owns a 109-164-6 career record and earned MAC "Coach of the Year" laurels in 1987 and in '89. She won the MAC title in 1990 and has guided CMU to the MAC championship game four times.
SHIPSHAPE -- "I thought we had a good preseason," noted Cristy Freese. "The team is in good shape and has worked hard in practices since day-one. We lost only two players from last season and add seven freshmen and that has made the transition easier."
GOAL ORIENTED -- "We don't have one specific goal for the team," said Freese. "We have set performance goals. We're going to focus on our skills because if we work hard and maintain a positive attitude, we'll get the desired outcome."
TIGERS & BEARS - OH MY -- "The Northwestern Wildcats and the Southwest Missouri State Lady Bears are going to be a challenge," Freese said. "The Wildcats will be ready for us. They played us two years ago and beat us. It will be a big test for our team to open against them. We have great team speed and return nine starters and that should help us in our first game. We beat the Lady Bears last year at our place, 3-0, and they'll be ready to play us."
OUTLOOK -- Freese is counting on a young but experienced squad to lead the Central Michigan field hockey team to the top of the Mid-American Conference standings.
The Chippewas enter 2001 with nine returning starters and 14 letterwinners. Even with 14 players returning the Chippwas are still a young team by many standards. They have only two seniors Melissa Lazarevski (Rochester, N.Y.) and Katrina Woznek (Amherst, N.Y.), and five juniors Janel Spero (Shoreham, N.Y.), Meg Lewis (Pittsford, N.Y.), Jocelyn Gates (Lake Villa, Ill.), Maria Neiswender (Hummelstown, Pa.) and Jeanette Spero (Shoreham, N.Y.).
Leading the Chippewa offensive attack for the second year in a row will be Lazarevski, who earned first-team All-MAC honors last season after leading CMU with 39 points (17 goals, five assists).
A strength of the squad will be at goalie where Janel Spero is entering her second season starting in the net.
The defense will be headed up by Woznek and Neiswender, who is coming off of a season-ending knee injury while the question mark for CMU is at midfield.
