Central Michigan University Athletics
Chippewas Head Back to Athens, Ohio for MAC Tournament
11/1/2011 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Complete MAC Tournament Bracket .pdf
Official Mid-American Conference Field Hockey Championship Page
MOUNT PLEASANT - Coming off a disappointing weekend at Kent State and Ohio, the Central Michigan field hockey team will travel back to Athens as the No. 3 seed in this weekend's Mid-American Conference Tournament.
The Chippewas (8-10, 5-5 MAC) dropped their final two conference matches of the season versus the Golden Flashes and Bobcats, falling to third in the MAC standings. With the regular season behind them, the Maroon and Gold will take on No. 6 seed Missouri State Thursday at 1:30 p.m.
The Bears finished the regular season 7-11 overall and 3-7 in the MAC and are riding a season-long four-match winning streak. The winner of Thursday's quarterfinal match will advance to play No. 2 Kent State, Friday at 2:30 p.m.
CMU vs. Missouri State
- Central leads the all-time series, 24-11-2, and is 1-0 versus the Bears in MAC Tournament contests.
- CMU swept MSU in Mount Pleasant earlier this season, claiming 4-0 and 5-1 victories.
Last Meeting: Central Michigan 5, Missouri State 1 (October 2, 2011)
Last Meeting in MAC Tournament: Central Michigan 2, Missouri State 1 (November 4, 2010 - Mount Pleasant)
Scouting the Bears
- Missouri State has won its last four contests, outscoring its opponents, 11-5. Each of its three conference wins came in the regular season's final two weekends with victories over Kent State, Miami and Ball State.
- The Bears feature a pair of double-digit goal scorers in Casey Bayliss and Hillary Lawless. Bayliss finished the regular season with 14 goals and six assists for a team-high 34 points, while Lawless recorded 10 goals and a team-high seven assists. Sarah Bradley is the team's third leading scorer with seven goals and five assists.
- MSU's seven wins are the most since joining the MAC in 2005 and most since winning 11 matches in 2004.
Chippewas in MAC Tournament
- The Maroon and Gold are 19-20 all-time during postseason conference play.
- The Chippewas have advanced to four straight semifinal matches, outscoring their opponents, 11-2, in their last four quarterfinal matches.
- CMU has claimed two MAC Tournament titles in program history. The first came on November 4, 1990 when it defeated Ball State, 3-2, in overtime. The Chippewas claimed their second MAC Tournament title on November 5, 2005 when they defeated Miami, 3-1.
Best MAC Finish Since 2006
With their 5-5 record during conference play, the Chippewas finished tied for second in the regular season standings with Kent State. The Golden Flashes were awarded a tiebreaker over CMU by winning both matches between the two squads to earn the No. 2 seed in this weekend's tournament. The second place finish is the best regular season finish for the Chippewas since 2006 when they went 6-4.
Dye Performs in Playoffs
Junior Erin Dye has recorded five points during her career in postseason play, scoring a goal and tallying an assist in her first ever postseason match her freshman year and scoring another goal in CMU's 2-1 win over Missouri State in last year's quarterfinal matchup in Mount Pleasant.
Approaching the Record Books
Senior Paulina Lee recorded her ninth assist of the season in Saturday's 2-1 overtime loss at Kent State. Lee is now just one shy of moving into a tie for eighth on CMU's single-season assists list.
Tournament Preview
Ohio earned the No. 1 seed after claiming the regular season title with a 9-1 conference record. Kent State earned the No. 2 seed, while Ball State (4-6 MAC) earned the four seed and Miami (4-6 MAC) the fifth seed. The Golden Flashes are the defending MAC Tournament champions after defeating Miami, 3-2, a year ago in Mount Pleasant.
Quarterfinals (Thursday, Nov. 3)
Game One: No. 4 Ball State vs. No 5 Miami - 11 a.m.
Game Two: No. 3 Central Michigan vs. No. 6 Missouri State - 1:30 p.m.
Semifinals (Friday, Nov. 4)
Game Three: No. 1 Ohio vs. 4/5 winner - 12 p.m.
Game Four: No. 2 Kent State vs. 3/6 winner - 2:30 p.m.
Championship (Saturday, Nov. 5)
Game Five: No. 1 vs No. 4/5 winner vs. No 2 vs. No 3/6 winner - TBA
