Central Michigan University Athletics
Chippewas Drop Field Hockey Match
8/29/2015 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - A much better effort, for the most part.
Michigan State did all of its scoring over a 16-minute span Saturday in handing Central Michigan a 5-1 non-conference field hockey loss at the CMU Field Hockey Complex.
The Chippewas fell to Delaware, 10-3, in their season-opener on Friday. CMU will travel to the state of Virginia next weekend for matches with Virginia Commonwealth and William & Mary.
CMU found itself in a 6-1 halftime deficit on Friday against Delaware. On Saturday, the Chippewas seized a 1-0 lead just over 19 minutes in as Kaysie Gregory scored with an assist from Elaine Materise off a penalty corner.
Thirteen minutes later the Spartans answered with the first of five goals over a 16-plus-minute span. It was 1-1 at halftime, and Michigan State, which was playing its season-opener, scored four goals in the first 14 minutes of the second half.
"I love that we scored first right off the bat," said first-year CMU coach Molly Pelowski, a former MSU assistant. "I thought it was a great corner execution. Overall all weekend I thought our corner execution was pretty good.
"But we've got to play better defense. That's the bottom line. That's the way we keep the ball out of the net. Still giving up too many shots."
Claire Johnson started the MSU flurry with an unassisted goal less than three minutes before halftime, then Lauren Bonness put the Spartans up, 2-1, when she scored just 2 minutes, 8 seconds into the second half. Three more MSU goals came in the next 11-plus minutes.
"They started dribbling and we started playing really poor individual defense all over the field so they were able to run through us," Pelowski said. "We weren't thinking, we weren't communicating. It was like we had a little out-of-body experience and can't have those in 10 minutes against a good team."
CMU goalkeeper Sadie Lynn Reynolds made 15 saves as the Chippewas were outshot, 26-4. Reynolds made eight saves in Friday's loss to Delaware.
"We're not getting open in the middle of the field so when you have to play on a space the size of an envelope on a giant field you're not going to create much offense," Pelowski said. "We've got to make the field bigger and create more through the middle of the field."
Certainly, Pelwoski discovered in her first two games as CMU's coach plenty on which the Chippewas must improve if they hope to be competitive in the remainder of their non-league games and in the Mid-American Conference.
And she saw plenty on which to build.
"Physically we never quit," she said. "Mentally we lost it (momentarily) and didn't realize what we were doing, weren't organized, but physically we didn't quit.
"For 70 minutes they fought hard so we know we're going to stick in a match for 70 minutes. We almost (scored) at the end, so it just goes to show you we'll work 'til the end. We never quit. We never quit once."
