Central Michigan University Athletics
Field Hockey Looks to Play Spoiler in Finale
10/27/2016 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Zach Libby, CMUChippewas.com
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. -- When looking back at the 2016 Central Michigan field hockey season, among the highlights that coach Molly Pelowski recalls is the grittiness her team displayed in a 4-3 overtime loss to Ohio.
The Chippewas scored twice in the final 22 minutes of regulation to overcome a two-goal deficit and send the game to overtime. It was not unlike CMU's lone win of the season, a 2-1 OT victory at home against Quinnipiac.
"We have to get that consistency of execution on a regular basis," Pelowski said.
The Chippewas' season comes to a close on Friday (2 p.m.) when they play host to Ball State in a Mid-American Conference game at the CMU Field Hockey Complex.
Central Michigan (1-16, 0-5) comes into Friday's game on a 12-game losing streak, including a recent 8-0 defeat by No. 10 Northwestern last Saturday and a 5-1 conference loss to Longwood the day prior.
"In order to get outcomes, you have to have more buy-in," Pelowski said. "We need to be more all-in. We had some distractions that happened off the field that really took away our ability to achieve, whether that'd be injuries or a series of unfortunate events.
"As I reflect back, we needed to come together and we did have moments, but it needs to be a sustained effort in order to achieve our goals."
The Chippewas are averaging 0.65 goals per game this year, as well as having a 0.084 shot percentage and 7.7 shots overall a game. That's in comparison to their opponents, who are averaging 4.88 goals and 23.4 shots per.
CMU leads the conference in both total saves (146) and saves made per game (8.46). Pelowski credits midfielder Maude Stalars for having played as the team's unofficial third goalkeeper, as the CMU defense also holds the top spot in the MAC in defensive saves per game (0.71).
Sophomore Lily Amadio and freshman Abigail Ebersole, who have made nine and seven starts in goal, respectively, have combined for an average goal percentage of 4.91 a game, along with 134 total saves.
The goaltending duo is among the many players expected to return in 2017, when, Pelowski said, development of leadership will be a focus.
"There's definitely more learning and more teaching from the coaching staff that needs to happen," she said. "I think people were giving their best effort, I never questioned their effort. But it will be nice to have a more experience team next fall."
The Chippewas's schedule included five Big Ten teams and four teams - Louisville, Northwestern, Michigan and Iowa - that are currently ranked in the top 20 nationally.
"There needs to be a balance in terms of how many top opponents we're playing versus our non-conference schedule having more parity in who we're playing," Pewolski said.
Ball State comes into Friday's game tied with Longwood for the fourth and final MAC Tournament spot. The Cardinals (7-10, 2-3) hold the tiebreaker over Longwood, having beaten the Lancers 2-1 six weeks ago. The Cardinals are third in the MAC in both shutouts (two) and goals against per game (2.14).
Central Michigan is seeking its first conference win this season and at a golden opportunity to finish on a high note by spoiling an opponent's postseason hopes.
"Not many teams get to end their season, for good or bad, on a win," Pewolski said. "That would certainly put us in a nice position going into the 2017 season."
