Central Michigan University Athletics
Field Hockey Opens MAC Season
9/21/2004 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Sept. 21, 2004
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The Central Michigan University field hockey team kicks off its MAC schedule this weekend.
The Miami contest is set for Friday, Sept. 24, at 3 p.m., with the Louisville match on Saturday, Sept. 25, at 1 p.m. All six MAC teams play their conference openers this weekend.
CMU's matches have been moved to the field hockey complex at Michigan State University. They were moved because of construction delays on CMU's new field hockey venue. The complex is located west of Spartan Stadium.
HEAD COACH CRISTY FREESE:
"We knew going into last weekend that we would have two tough matches, and that is exactly what happened. We got beat pretty good both matches, but life goes on. It is important we realize the mistakes we made and correct them before the conference season.
"Both Michigan and Northeastern exposed some flaws in our team and we will work hard in practice to correct those things before this weekend. We team has put the losses behind it and are excited to move on to the conference schedule.
"Both Louisville and Miami are solid defensive squads which will force us to play intelligently. We need to make strong passes and quick shots. That was a main focus in practice this week, so it will be interesting to see how we perform in those area during the weekend."
THIS WEEK • Miami:
Miami currently holds the top overall record at 4-3 on the season. The RedHawks have shut out their last two opponents, a 3-0 win over Appalachian State and a 1-0 win at Saint Louis.
Goalkeeper Kerri Orr has been named the MAC "Defensive Player of the Week" for two straight weeks. Orr leads the conference in goals against average (1.65) and shutouts (3). The offense is led by Danielle Perrecone with three goals and two assists.
Miami still leads the all-time series with CMU, 23-21, but CMU has won the last seven meetings. CMU went 3-0 against the RedHawks last season, outscoring them 17-4.
THIS WEEK • Louisville:
The Cardinals enter the weekend 2-5 overall and will play at Ball State on Friday before travelling to MSU for Saturday's match. All but one of Louisville's matches have been decided by one goal.
The offense is led by Suzanne Irwin, who has five goal this season. She ranks second in the conference in goal and third in points. Goalkeeper Jenna Halulko has the second-best GAA (1.76) in the MAC.
CMU holds a 17-9 advantage in the all-time series, but Lousiville took two of three from the Chippewas last season. The Cardinals ended CMU's season with a 1-0 victory in the MAC tournament semifinals.
CAREER START:
Erica Takach continues to lead the CMU offense as she is averaging a goal per match this season. She has already notched four goals this season, two less then her first two season combined. She has also scored both match-winning goals for CMU this season.
Takach leads the MAC in points per match (2.25) and is tied for the lead in goal per contest (1.00). She also is tied for the lead in match-winning goals with two this season. Danielle Frank's two shutouts are second-best in the conference. As a team, CMU ranks near the top in two offensive categories, goals (2.00) and assists (1.75) per match.
