Chippewas Lacrosse Looks To Remain Perfect At Home
3/26/2016 12:00:00 AM | Lacrosse
Zach Libby, CMUChippewas.com
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. -- Central Michigan has yet to back away from a challenge in its first season as a varsity lacrosse program, regardless of the size of the other dog in the fight.
That was evident last Saturday when CMU arrived home after its road trip across Lake Michigan that ended in a 17-4 road loss to Marquette, a veteran Big East conference foe.
Back in the friendly confines of the new CMU lacrosse-soccer stadium, where they are 2-0 this season, the Chippewas (3-3) will take on Robert Morris on Sunday at noon in a non-conference game before turning their attention to their Atlantic Sun Conference opener.
CMU goes to Detroit for its league opener on Wednesday.
"We're practicing at a high intensity heading into conference play," coach Sara Tisdale said. "The loss to Marquette elevated our focus and intensity to make sure that we're ready for games so we don't have the same result again."
Robert Morris (2-5) is a team with a considerable amount of shots taken, but has to find a reasonable amount of success in putting the ball in the net, scoring 8.57 goals per game and finishing contests in double-digit points only twice, both of which were wins.
The lone common opponent is Cincinnati. The Bearcats defeated the Chippewas, 14-5, and nipped the Colonials, 8-7.
Leading the charge offensively for Robert Morris is Brittany Byerly, who leads the Colonials in shots (32) and points (19). Dana Davis has accumulated a team-high six assists and 24 ground balls.
"More or less it's the type of style that we're ready to defend," Tisdale said. "We're relying a lot on our great 1-on-1 defense and being focused on player tendencies. That's why we're paying attention to the leading scorer, but she's just as much of a threat as three or four other players too."
Central Michigan will look to expose goalkeeper Sarah Arnold, who carries a .277 save percentage and is allowing an average of 10.84 goals per game.
The Colonials hold a season-long nine-shot edge over their opponents, but they have surrendered 14 more goals than they have scored.
"Getting high-quality shots on the cage and getting as many goals as we possibly can is absolutely a goal," Tisdale said. "For us, regardless of the opponent, getting high-quality shots, and a lot of them, we have to get at least 20 shots to start competing and beating high-caliber programs."
Jocelyne Lemay leads the Chippewas with 12 goals, while Sydney Wright has eight, and Anna Schoonover and Katilin Kimble have recorded six apiece. Riley Huda leads CMU with five assists.
The spread of the ball and wealth offensively has led to Central Michigan finding creative ways to score and confuse defenses.
Seven Chippewas have recorded at least 10 shots, and all seven have put 60 percent or better of their shots on goal. Lemay, at .905, is the leader among those who have registered double-digit shot totals.
"In terms of our offensive productive, we're going to work to move the ball faster to get those high percentage opportunities," Tisdale said. "And then we're also going to unleash the power of some of our best attackers."
