CMU Lacrosse Ready For Home Debut
3/10/2016 12:00:00 AM | Lacrosse
Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - The long wait is nearly over for coach Sara Tisdale and the first-year Central Michigan women's lacrosse program to strut its stuff on home turf.
The Chippewas will play the first home lacrosse game in school history on Friday (3 p.m.) against Delaware State at the CMU Soccer-Lacrosse Stadium. CMU is scheduled to play its second home game on Sunday (1 p.m.) against Virginia Commonwealth.
"Overall the vibe is very positive, so many great things coming together," Tisdale said. "To have the opportunity to play at home in front of a home crowd, in a brand-new stadium -- it's not escaping us."
Lacrosse, like football and soccer, is played no matter what Mother Nature provides. The forecast for Friday calls for sunny skies and temperatures in the mid 50s.
"Snow or hail or a beautiful sunshiny day, we'll take any of it," Tisdale said. "We pride ourselves on our toughness."
That philosophy is a cornerstone on which Tisdale has built her young program since being named CMU's first lacrosse coach some 18 months ago.
"What we're working to do is to build Chippewa lacrosse," Tisdale said. "To us that means the hustle plays, the tough plays, powering through a groundball that's highly contested, with six or seven people around it. Put-your-head-down, grind-it-out lacrosse. That's become our brand."
The Chippewas (1-2) opened the season with a 14-1 loss at Michigan, then posted a 16-4 victory at Gardner-Webb. They lost last weekend at Cincinnati, 14-5.
Statistically, the Chippewas have fared better in the first half of their games than in the second, a fact that perhaps speaks to their youth, depth and conditioning, all factors that should solidify over time.
The Chippewas have been outshot, 29-26, in the first half of games this season. In the second half, that number is 32-13 in favor of their opponents. CMU has played its opponents to a 16-16 draw in first-half goals, but has been outscored 16-6 in the second half of games.
"Veteran teams know the swing in a game with one possession," Tisdale said. "One possession, one goal, can really put the wind behind your sails. I think we're quickly learning that. Our young team has seen the impact of one or two plays."
Three key components among the 'hustle plays' that Tisdale uses to gauge her team's progress are groundballs, draw controls and time of possession.
Kaitlin Kimble leads the Chippewas in scoring with five goals, while Sydney Wright and Summer Abdalla had four apiece. Riley Huda has recorded a team-high four assists.
Dominique Hamman has been in goal for every minute of all three of CMU's games. She has surrendered an average of 10.67 goals per game and has recorded a .475 save percentage.
