Central Michigan University Athletics
Chippewas Start Weekend With 3-2 Loss
10/23/2015 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - Kent State scored two second-half goals less than two minutes apart Friday as the Golden Flashes handed Central Michigan a 3-2 Mid-American Conference soccer loss at the CMU Soccer-Lacrosse Stadium.
The loss dropped the Chippewas to 5-9-2 overall, 4-4-1 league. CMU is sixth in the conference standings with 13 points. The top eight teams in the final standings make the league tournament field. Kent State is 10-5-2, 6-3-0 and has 18 points.
CMU goes to Ohio (5-11, 3-6) on Sunday (1 p.m.) for a league match. Ohio, with nine points, is among the teams pursuing the Chippewas for a tournament spot. The Bobcats lost at Toledo, 3-0, on Friday.
CMU closes the regular season on Thursday, Oct. 29, at home against Toledo.
"When you say this next one is the one you've got to have I think that's when teams get tight," CMU coach Peter McGahey said. "We'll just go back out and say we've really got to put a better performance out. I'm confident this team has a lot of soccer left to play."
Goals by Abbie Lawson at the 64-minute, 9-second mark and by Hayden Pascoe at 65:37 put the Golden Flashes up, 3-1, in Friday's match. Samantha Maher scored unassisted in the 87th minute to draw the Chippewas within a goal, but they could get no closer.
"In fits and starts today we really played well," McGahey said. "I think Kent did a good job of doing what they do and imposing more of their game than we were able to.
"They put a good performance out, took the three points today, and they were able to do what we thought they would do."
Kristen Brots scored in the eighth minute to put Kent State up 1-0. CMU's Alexis Pelafas scored on a header off a Maher corner kick with under 4 minutes to play in the half to tie it and give the Chippewas a shot of momentum.
The momentum, however, dissipated with Kent State's quick back-to-back goals relatively early in the second half.
"Sometimes if you're running uphill on the treadmill all the time that's a difficult thing to maintain the whole game," McGahey said. "We felt like we were chasing uphill today."
Zoie Reed made six saves in goal for the Chippewas. Kent State outshot CMU, 17-12. The Chippewas held a 6-4 edge in corner kicks.
It was the third goal of the season for both Pelafas and Maher. They share the team lead with Kaelyn Korte.
"They outplayed us for 83 minutes and scored three goals," McGahey said. "The other seven minutes I thought we were the better team and we put in two goals. We find some way to tip that scale just a little bit more and then all of a sudden the outcome is different tonight."
